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New Johnson County judges to be picked from list of 5 nominees — Here’s who they are

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After interviewing 26 candidates with legal backgrounds, the 10th Judicial District Nominating Commission has forwarded the names of five finalists to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who will now appoint three to fill seats for new Johnson County judges.

How it got here: The three new judge positions were funded by this year’s state budget, which also included a five percent pay raise for state employees.

  • Overall, the budget added nearly two dozen district and magistrate judge positions across the state.
  • The Johnson County District Court has not gained a new judge since 2007, and since then, the county’s population has grown by more than 86,000 people.

What’s next: The nominating commission has sent the names of the five finalists to Gov. Laura Kelly, who will make the final choice of who will fill the three positions.

  • Kelly has 60 days to make the final appointments.
  • The three candidates who are ultimately chosen will serve in the positions for a year before they stand for a retention vote.

Who are the 5 finalists to be new Johnson County judges?

  • Jason Billam: Olathe resident, co-founder and attorney with Billam & Henderson in Overland Park. Billam has worked in law for 15 years, according to his online bio. Specialty areas include homicide, drug crime, domestic violence crime and property crime.
  • Stephanie Goodenow: Lenexa resident, owner and attorney with the Goodenow Law firm in Lenexa. She has earned bar admissions in Kansas, Missouri and in U.S. District courts. Outside of law, Goodenow volunteers with various organizations — including the Girl Scouts of America and the Holy Trinity Catholic School and Parish.
  • Jadh Kerr: Lenexa resident, partner with Speer and Holliday estate planning firm in Olathe. Kerr is a member of the Kansas Bar Association, Johnson County Bar Association, American Bar Association and New York State Bar Association.
  • Catherine Triplett: De Soto resident, owner and attorney with Triplett Law Firm in Shawnee. Triplett graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law. She founded Triplett Law Firm in 2021.
  • Joann Woltman: Overland Park resident and counsel with Littler Mendelson, and international law firm specializing in labor and employment litigation. Before joining Littler Mendelson, Woltmann worked for a firm where she litigated consumer and wage and hour class action cases.
Johnson County judges
A small hearing room inside the Johnson County Courthouse. File photo.

About the author

Lucie Krisman
Lucie Krisman

Hi! I’m Lucie Krisman, and I cover local business for the Johnson County Post.

I’m a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, but have been living in Kansas since I moved here to attend KU, where I earned my degree in journalism. Prior to joining the Post, I did work for The Pitch, the Eudora Times, the North Dakota Newspaper Association and KTUL in Tulsa.

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