Find information about each candidate below, in both English and Spanish, as part of the 2024 KC Voter Guide.
A continuación, encontrará información sobre cada candidato, tanto en inglés como en español, como parte de la Guía del Votante de KC en las elecciones del 2024.
Kansas has 14 judges on the Court of Appeals, the state’s second highest court, which hears appeals from all lower district courts in both civil and criminal cases.
The judges on this court are appointed by the governor and face non-partisan retention election every four years.
This November, judges Sarah Warner, David Bruns, G. Gordon Atcheson, Karen Arnold-Burger, Rachel Pickering, Angela Coble, and Kathryn Gardner are up for retention votes.
Position 4
Sarah Warner (incumbent / actual)
First appointed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in 2019, Judge Sarah Warner is seeking her second four-year term on the appeals court, having been retained in 2020. A native of Overland Park who lives with her family in Lenexa, Warner formerly worked in private practice and served a stint as a research attorney for Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Davis. She holds a law degree from the University of Michigan and has taught at Washburn University School of Law for the past 15 years.
Nombrada por primera vez por la gobernadora demócrata Laura Kelly en 2019, la jueza Sarah Warner busca su segundo mandato de cuatro años en el tribunal de apelaciones, tras haber sido retenida en 2020. Originaria de Overland Park y residente con su familia en Lenexa, Warner trabajó anteriormente en la práctica privada y cumplió una temporada como abogada investigadora del presidente del Tribunal Supremo de Kansas, Robert Davis. Es licenciada en Derecho por la Universidad de Michigan y ha impartido clases en la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Washburn durante los últimos 15 años.
- In its 2024 Judicial Survey, the Kansas Bar Association recommended that Judge Warner be retained. Read the full evaluation here.
Position 6
David Bruns (incumbent / actual)
Judge David Bruns was originally appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2011 by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and has previously been retained by voters three times. Prior to that, he served more than a decade as a district court judge in Shawnee County. Before that, he worked in private practice in Topeka for 15 years. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Bruns holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and a law degree from Washburn University.
El juez David Bruns fue nombrado originalmente para el Tribunal de Apelaciones en 2011 por el gobernador republicano Sam Brownback y ha sido retenido previamente por los votantes en tres ocasiones. Antes de eso, se desempeñó durante más de una década como juez de un tribunal de distrito en el Condado Shawnee. Antes de eso, trabajó en la práctica privada en Topeka durante 15 años. Originario de Kansas City, Kansas, Bruns es licenciado por la Universidad de Kansas y licenciado en Derecho por la Universidad de Washburn.
- In its 2024 Judicial Survey, the Kansas Bar Association recommended that Judge Bruns be retained. Read the full evaluation here.
Position 8
G. Gordon Atcheson (incumbent / actual)
Originally appointed by Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson in 2010, Judge G. Gordon Atcheson has been retained by voters in 2012, 2016 and 2020. Before his appointment, he had a nearly 30-year career in private practice in both civil and criminal litigation. He eventually founded his own practice in Westwood, Kansas. Atcheson holds a law degree from the University of Kansas, and he is married to Cheryl Pilate, a prominent defense attorney in Kansas City, Missouri.
Nombrado originalmente por el gobernador demócrata Mark Parkinson en 2010, el juez G. Gordon Atcheson ha sido reelegido por los votantes en 2012, 2016 y 2020. Antes de su nombramiento, tuvo una carrera de casi 30 años en la práctica privada tanto en litigios civiles como penales. Con el tiempo fundó su propio bufete en Westwood, Kansas. Atcheson es licenciado en Derecho por la Universidad de Kansas y está casado con Cheryl Pilate, una destacada abogada defensora de Kansas City, Missouri.
- In its 2024 Judicial Survey, the Kansas Bar Association recommended that Judge Atcheson be retained. Read the full evaluation here.
Position 9
Karen Arnold-Burger (incumbent / actual)
Judge Karen Arnold-Burger has been chief judge of the Kansas Court of Appeals since 2017. She was originally appointed to the court in January 2011 by outgoing Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson. Voters retained Arnold-Burger in 2012, 2016 and 2020. A native of Kansas City, Kansas, she attended Johnson County Community College and the University of Kansas before earning a law degree from KU. She previously worked as both a local and federal prosecutor and then a municipal court judge.
La jueza Karen Arnold-Burger ha sido jueza presidenta del Tribunal de Apelaciones de Kansas desde 2017. Fue nombrada originalmente para el tribunal en enero de 2011 por el gobernador demócrata saliente Mark Parkinson. Los votantes retuvieron a Arnold-Burger en 2012, 2016 y 2020. Nacida en Kansas City, Kansas, estudió en el Johnson County Community College y en la Universidad de Kansas antes de licenciarse en Derecho por KU. Anteriormente trabajó como fiscal local y federal y después como jueza de un tribunal municipal.
- In its 2024 Judicial Survey, the Kansas Bar Association recommended that Judge Arnold-Burger be retained. Read the full evaluation here.
Position 10
Rachel Pickering (incumbent / actual)
Appointed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly in 2022, Judge Rachel Pickering is the first Hispanic jurist to serve on the Kansas Court of Appeals. She is standing for her first retention vote. Prior to her appointment, she served as a district court judge in Shawnee County and previously served as an assistant district attorney in that county. She also served a stint as assistant solicitor general in the office of former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. She earned a law degree from the University of Missouri.
Nombrada por la gobernadora demócrata Laura Kelly en 2022, la jueza Rachel Pickering es la primera jurista hispana que se desempeña en el Tribunal de Apelaciones de Kansas. Ella se presenta ahora a su primer voto de retención. Antes de su nombramiento, se desempeñó como jueza de un tribunal de distrito en el condado de Shawnee y anteriormente fue asistente del fiscal de distrito en ese condado. También se desempeñó como procuradora general adjunta en la oficina del ex procurador general de Kansas, Derek Schmidt. Es licenciada en Derecho por la Universidad de Missouri.
- In its 2024 Judicial Survey, the Kansas Bar Association recommended that Judge Pickering be retained. Read the full evaluation here.
Position 12
Angela Coble (incumbent / actual)
Judge Angela Coble was appointed to the Kansas Court of Appeals in 2022 by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and is standing for her first retention vote. A native of Salina, Kansas, Coble worked in private practice for several years in that city, representing clients in employment, personal injury and family law cases, among other areas. Later, she worked as an attorney in the chambers of two federal magistrate judges, advising on both civil and criminal matters. She has a law degree from Washburn University.
La juez Angela Coble fue nombrada para el Tribunal de Apelaciones de Kansas en 2022 por la gobernadora demócrata Laura Kelly y se presenta a su primer voto de retención. Originaria de Salina, Kansas, Coble trabajó en la práctica privada durante varios años en esa ciudad, representando a clientes en casos de empleo, lesiones personales y derecho de familia, entre otras áreas. Posteriormente, trabajó como abogada en los despachos de dos jueces magistrados federales, asesorando tanto en asuntos civiles como penales. Es licenciada en Derecho por la Universidad de Washburn.
- In its 2024 Judicial Survey, the Kansas Bar Association recommended that Judge Coble be retained. Read the full evaluation here.
Position 14
Kathryn Gardner (incumbent / actual)
Judge Kathryn Gardner was appointed to the Kansas Court of Appeals in 2015 by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Voters retained her in 2016 and 2020. She is a 1983 graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law. Prior to her appointment, she worked as a staff attorney for an appeals court judge, a law clerk for a federal judge, an assistant attorney general in the civil division of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and as a private litigator.
La jueza Kathryn Gardner fue nombrada para el Tribunal de Apelaciones de Kansas en 2015 por el gobernador republicano Sam Brownback. Los votantes la retuvieron en 2016 y 2020. Se graduó en 1983 en la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Kansas. Antes de su nombramiento, trabajó como abogada de planta de un juez del tribunal de apelaciones, también como asistente legal de un juez federal, así mismo como fiscal general adjunta en la división civil de la Oficina del Fiscal General de Kansas y como litigante privada.
- In its 2024 Judicial Survey, the Kansas Bar Association recommended that Judge Gardner be retained. Read the full evaluation here.