For the second time in two-plus years and the third time in the last four-plus years, Kristen Wheeler is in consideration for an appointment to a state-level court.
Wheeler, the daughter of retired Lyon County Chief Judge Merlin Wheeler, is scheduled to interview for a Court of Appeals position at 4 pm Tuesday. Wheeler is one of 19 candidates set to interview between Tuesday and Wednesday hoping to fill the seat set to be vacated by retiring Judge Henry Green Jr.
Wheeler, a Wichita-based attorney, was one of three finalists for a seat on the Court of Appeals back in August of 2022 following the retirement announcement of Judge Anthony Powell. Judge Rachel Pickering was ultimately selected as Powell’s replacement.
Wheeler was also a finalist for the Kansas Supreme Court in late 2020 after the retirement of Carol Beier. Then-Court of Appeals Judge Melissa Taylor Standridge was eventually selected.
Following time at a private law practice in Wichita and time spent as a clerk for US District Court Judge Thomas Marten, Wheeler is now the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals chair.
