photo by: Contributed

Blake Glover

A Baldwin City attorney has been selected to become the next pro tem judge in Douglas County District Court.

Chief Judge James McCabria announced on Friday that Blake Glover, who is currently a defense attorney practicing in Douglas County, would take over the position on Jan. 18. Glover will replace outgoing Pro Tem Judge James T. George, who is retiring at the end of the year. Glover will oversee the same types of cases George presided over, including first appearances, small claims and traffic and misdemeanor crimes, McCabria said.

Glover, who is from the Lawrence area, earned his bachelor’s degree from Baker University, according to his law office website. He then earned his law degree in 2008 from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

He served as a prosecutor in Texas for about six years before returning to Douglas County to establish his own law office in 2013. He is a member of the bar associations of both Kansas and Texas. Glover’s website also notes he has tried criminal cases from ticket citations to first-degree murder.

The pro tem judge is often the first judge individuals see in the court. Additionally, during first appearances, the judge often determines the initial dollar amount and pre-trial conditions of bond for individuals who are released from jail custody.

Unlike the standard divisions in the district court, where the Kansas governor appoints a new judge to serve, the pro tem judgeship is a county-funded position that the chief judge is responsible for filling.