photo by: Contributed

Judge Sally Pokorny

The public is invited to a farewell ceremony next month for Judge Sally Pokorny, who is stepping down from the bench.

As the Journal-World reported, Pokorny will be retiring effective April 10. A public event is scheduled for 3 p.m. that day at the historic Douglas County Courthouse on the corner of 11th and Massachusetts streets — just across the lawn from the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center where Pokorny has been a judge for the past 17 years. She is currently the longest-serving judge on the Douglas County bench.

Before being appointed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to a judgeship in 2009, Pokorny worked in a variety of positions in the legal field, including as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney.

She was the first judge in Kansas to preside over a Behavioral Health Court, an alternative to traditional prosecutions for people with mental health issues that is focused on treatment, structure and compassion.

Pokorny said in a news release Friday that she had been fortunate to spend her legal career in service to the people of Kansas.

“Serving as a district court judge has been the greatest honor of my professional life, and I am especially proud of the relationships built with colleagues, attorneys, and those I was privileged to mentor along the way,” she said.