photo by: Bremen Keasey

Lawrence's City Hall, located at 6 E. Sixth St., shown in June 2025.

Lawrence Municipal Court Judge Chris Kopecky will soon retire, according to a news release Monday from the city.

Kopecky has been the presiding judge in Municipal Court for nearly three and a half years. His last day will be March 2.

Kopecky was selected following a competitive national search and began serving in October 2022. Before that he had worked more than 30 years as a judge pro-tem in several municipal courts, as a law professor and as a criminal defense attorney.

“It has been my great honor to serve as the Lawrence Municipal Court Judge for the last three and a half years,” Kopecky said in the release. “I have been blessed to work alongside fantastic court staff, prosecutors, and court-appointed attorneys, all who deeply respect each other and seek the same mutual goal of fundamental fairness and justice for our citizens.”

In the coming weeks, city staff will begin the process of searching for and selecting the next Municipal Court judge, the release said.

Municipal Court, conducted at Lawrence City Hall, handles violations of city ordinances, including traffic offenses, code violations and other municipal matters.