Emporia native Kristen Wheeler is not advancing to the finalist stage for a Kansas Court of Appeals judge position.
Wheeler’s name was not listed as one of the three finalists coming from the Court of Appeals Nominating Commission on Friday. The finalists are:
*Meryl Carver-Allmond, Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert’s general counsel
*Randall Hodgkinson, appellate defender for the Kansas Appellate Defender Office
*Judge Lori Bolton-Fleming, 11th Judicial District Chief Judge
Wheeler, the daughter of one-time Lyon County Chief Judge Merlin Wheeler, was one of 19 candidates for the spot opening with the retirement of Judge Henry Green Jr. She had been a finalist for a Court of Appeals seat in August 2022 and a Kansas Supreme Court seat in 2020.
