Gov. Sam Brownback will speak on judicial selection during a discussion sponsored by The Federalist Society, a conservative legal group that has been involved in the debate on changing the way judges are selected in Kansas.

The discussion will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday at the Overland Park Sheraton, 6100 College Boulevard.

Brownback, a Republican, successfully pushed for approval of a new system where the governor names judges to the Kansas Court of Appeals who are then submitted to the Senate for approval.

In the first appointment under the new system, Brownback selected his chief counsel Caleb Stegall, who was confirmed by the Senate on a party-line vote.

Under the former system, a nominating commission screened candidates and submitted three possible nominees for the governor to chose. Supporters of this system said it removed politics from the selection process, but Brownback had criticized this system because he said the nominating commission was dominated by attorneys.

Brownback and his allies also want to apply the new system to the Kansas Supreme Court, but that would require a change in the state constitution.