Two Republicans are running for the Division 2 judge’s seat in the 20th Judicial District, which includes Barton, Ellsworth, Rice, Russell and Stafford Counties. The seat will be vacant as the incumbent, the Honorable Steve Johnson, is retiring at the end of his current term so he will not be running for re-election. The candidates are Levi Morris, Great Bend, and Donald (Don) Anderson II, Ellinwood. The winner of the Republican primary on Aug. 6 will be on the ballot in the Nov. 5 general election.
The Great Bend Tribune sent the same questions to each candidate and received the following answers.
Donald E. Anderson II (Don), Ellinwood
Is this your first time filing for an elected office? No, I ran for USD 355 School Board which is the governing body of the Ellinwood, Kansas, school, last year (2023). My bid for election onto the School Board was successful, but to be candid and transparent, there were four open seats last year and only four people registered to run for those seats. As such all four of the people who registered to run for USD 355 School Board were elected. I am currently serving as a Board Member for USD 355. My term began in January of this year.
What other elected offices have you held? Running for a seat on the USD 355 School Board last year was my first personal involvement in any manner of politics.
What do you believe qualifies you for this office? I believe I am qualified for the position of District Court Judge based on several reasons. First, I have been a licensed, practicing attorney in the State of Kansas for just shy of 14 years. During that time, I have been in private practice, first working for my father and have had my own firm since 2017. During my nearly 14 years in private practice, I have handled cases in numerous areas of the law including civil litigation and civil trials, criminal, domestic/family law, and probate. Additionally, I have successfully argued before both the Court of Appeals of Kansas and the Supreme Court of Kansas. All of this is not to boast about myself but to explain that I am experienced in a wide array of the law. This is very important for an attorney who is potentially going to become a district court judge. District court judges are responsible for hearing matters in all areas of the law, so a broader legal background is essential.
Ultimately, a district court judge’s obligation is to apply and uphold the law. A district court judge should never be swayed by personal beliefs, public opinion, or any other consideration in the application of the law. I believe over the past nearly 14 years serving the 20th Judicial District as a practicing attorney with a primary focus in criminal defense, I have been able to show that above all, application of the law is the cornerstone of my successful practice. I took an oath to support and bear allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Kansas and that I would not delay or deny the rights of any person. I believe that I have spent my entire legal career upholding that oath as a practicing attorney and will continue to do so if elected to be a district court judge.
What do you see as the Number One issue in this election? The Number One issue in this election for district court judge is ensuring that the bench in our district continues to be filled by judges who have a wide range of legal experience since they serve a wide variety of people and of cases across 5 counties. Filling the position of district court judge with the candidate who had that type of experience and will take that experience and use it to keep our legal system impartial, fair, balanced and accessible to everyone.
Levi Morris, Great Bend
What other elected offices have you held? I’m currently the Barton County Attorney
What do you believe qualifies you for this office? As the Barton County Attorney, I doubled (one year we nearly tripled) the annual number of convicted felons who are required to register as sex offenders, violent offenders, and drug offenders. This size of the County Attorney’s office has been reduced from 14 to 12 over the last two years, saving the taxpayers over $100,000 in salary and benefits each year. Practically speaking, Kansas Courts are courts of criminal jurisdiction. Criminal cases are the bulk of the average district court judge’s docket. While I have experience handling tax, probate, personal injury, and domestic cases, the majority of the cases I have handled over my career are criminal and that includes both criminal defense and criminal prosecution. With that experience in mind, I’m running for Judge because I think I’ll be good at it.
What do you see as the Number One issue in this election? The Kansas Rules Relating to Judicial Conduct specifically state that a “judge or a judicial candidate shall not in connection with cases, controversies, or issues that are likely to come before the court, make pleads, promises, or commitments that are inconsistent with the impartial performance of the adjudicative duties of judicial office.” For that reason, as well as the nature of our elected position, there are no “issues” in this election.
