20-3004. Nomination of judges by supreme court nominating commission; meetings; quorum; final action; qualifications and selection of nominees; meetings not subject to open meetings act. (a) In addition to the powers and duties prescribed by K.S.A. 20-119 through 20-131, and amendments thereto, the supreme court nominating commission established by section 5 of article 3 of the constitution of the state of Kansas shall nominate persons to serve as judges of the court of appeals as provided in this act. To carry out its duties under this act, the commission shall meet only upon call of the chairperson, and the commission shall not take any final action except at such meeting. For the purpose of this act, a majority of the commission shall constitute a quorum to do business, but no final action shall be taken except upon a vote of the majority of the members of the commission. For the purposes of this act, the commission shall not be subject to the Kansas open meetings act as provided in K.S.A. 75-4317 et seq., and amendments thereto.

(b) Any person nominated by the commission to serve as a judge of the court of appeals shall have the qualifications prescribed by subsection (a) of K.S.A. 20-3002 and shall be a person of recognized integrity, character, ability, experience and judicial temperament, to the end that persons serving as judges of the court of appeals will be the best qualified therefor. In order to obtain the best qualified persons as nominees, the commission shall not be limited in its consideration of potential nominees to those persons whose names have been submitted to the commission or who have expressed a willingness to serve.

(c) The commission may authorize one or more members of the commission to tender a nomination to any qualified person in order to ascertain such person's willingness to serve if nominated, but any such tender of nomination shall be subject to final action of the commission under the conditions prescribed by subsection (a).

(d) No member of the supreme court nominating commission shall be eligible for nomination for the office of judge of the court of appeals while a member of such commission or for six months thereafter.

History: L. 1975, ch. 178, § 4; L. 1988, ch. 111, § 1; L. 2003, ch. 99, § 17; July 1.