TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court has reappointed 27 chief judges in Kansas. Their terms are effective Jan. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2023.

Area appointees include:

20th Judicial District 

Chief Judge Steven Johnson was reappointed in the 20th Judicial District, composed of Barton, Ellsworth, Rice, Russell and Stafford counties. He has served as a district judge since 2012 and chief judge since 2020. 

Johnson received an undergraduate degree from Fort Hays State University and a law degree from Washburn University School of Law. He was in private practice in Great Bend from 1985 to 2012.

24th Judicial District 

Chief Judge Bruce Gatterman was reappointed in the 24th Judicial District, composed of Edwards, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness, Pawnee and Rush counties. He has served as a district judge and chief judge since 2003. 

Gatterman received an undergraduate degree from Kansas State University and a law degree from Washburn University School of Law. He served as a municipal judge for the City of Larned from 1980 to 2002.

Chief judge role 

Each of Kansas’s 31 judicial districts has a chief judge who, in addition to judicial responsibilities, has general control over case assignments within the district, as well as general supervisory authority over the administrative and clerical functions of the court.