Lyon County Chief Judge Merlin Wheeler may not be as retired as an announcement last week said he would be this fall.
The statement from the Kansas Judicial System says Wheeler is retiring Sept. 3 after a better than 30-year career as judge. But that statement doesn’t mention Wheeler’s agreement to be on senior judge status, meaning he’ll travel the state as needed with a reduced overall caseload. Wheeler tells KVOE News he’s excited by that change in his career.
Wheeler expects his upcoming workload will be as much as 60 percent reduced from his current load. He also says his workload has shifted over time, with administrative duties eating into his courtroom preparations.
Wheeler has been serving as the district’s chief judge since the late 1990s. Before being appointed as Lyon County judge in 1990, Wheeler served as Emporia’s city attorney from 1977-1980. He then joined the private firm Perkins and Hollembeak, Chartered, and later owned Merlin Wheeler Chartered from 1988-1990. He says he was drawn to legal careers from an early age.
In a special one-on-one interview with KVOE News this week, Wheeler vividly remembered his experience as he transitioned from private law practice — which was quite a bit different from his first docket.
Wheeler’s daughter, Kristin, is an attorney in Wichita and has been listed as a finalist for positions on both the Kansas Supreme Court and Kansas Court of Appeals over the past three years. He’s definitely proud of his daughter’s accomplishments.
Wheeler is also proud of Lyon County District Court, which gets its job done despite longstanding issues with state funding.
Throughout his career, Wheeler says his goal has always to be well prepared and do things the way they should be done.
The Fifth District Nominating Commission is officially starting the process of finding Wheeler’s successor this week as it has an online meeting at noon Thursday. Residents interested in being a judge must be at least 30 years of age. They must also be a lawyer admitted to practice in Kansas and have a minimum five-year career engaged in practicing law, whether as a lawyer, judge or full-time teacher at an accredited law school. They must also live in the district for which they are applying.
