From THE KANSAS GOVERNOR'S OFFICE
TOPEKA – The Court of Appeals Nominating Commission today announced the three nominees chosen to fill the upcoming vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Michael Buser.
Governor Laura Kelly will appoint one nominee to fill the vacancy. The appointment then is subject to Senate confirmation.
The three Court of Appeals nominees are as follows:
Angela D. Coble –Salina, Coble is a Judicial Clerk with Judge Gwynne E. Birzer and retired Judge Karen M. Humphreys in the District of Kansas. She previously practiced with the law firm of Kennedy, Berkeley, Yarnevich & Williamson. She serves as a Board Member of the Salina Family Healthcare Center and is a member of the Wichita Women Attorney’s Association, the Kansas Women Attorney’s Association, the Saline-Ottawa County Bar Association, and the Kansas Bar Association. Coble earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Kansas Wesleyan University and her law degree from Washburn University School of Law.
Randall L. Hodgkinson –Topeka, Hodgkinson is an appellate defender for the Kansas Appellate Defender Office since 2000 where he represents individuals convicted of felonies before Kansas appellate courts. In addition to his criminal defense work, he has been a visiting assistant professor of law since 2006 at Washburn University School of Law. Hodgkinson is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and serves on the Kansas Judicial Council’s Criminal Law Advisory Committee. From 2005 until 2012 he served on the Appellate Procedure Advisory Committee, and in 2016 he served on the Kansas Supreme Court Time Standards Committee. Hodgkinson earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from Wichita State University and his law degree from Arizona State University College of Law.
Judge Rachel Pickering – Topeka, Judge Pickering serves on the 3rd Judicial District bench and primarily presides over Child in Need of Care cases. Prior to her judicial appointment, she was an Assistant Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office. She is an Adjunct Professor at Washburn University School of Law. Judge Pickering is a member of the American Bar Association’s Women in Criminal Justice Task Force, the American Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the Kansas Women Attorneys Association, Women Attorneys Association of Topeka, and the Kansas Bar Association. Presently she is the President of the Sam A. Crow American Inn of Court. Judge Pickering earned her bachelor’s degree in History from University of Missouri-St. Louis and her law degree from University of Missouri – Columbia School of Law and spent her third year of law school at the University of Kansas as a visiting student.
Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order 20-01 on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 establishing the Court of Appeals Nominating Commission. Under Kansas law, the Governor appoints judges to the Court of Appeals subject to confirmation by the Kansas Senate. The Commission will review each applicant’s background and qualifications, conduct interviews and then submit three nominees for the Governor to consider.