The Court of Appeals Nominating Commission announced today the three nominees to fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Judge G. Joseph Pierron Jr. Governor Laura Kelly will appoint one nominee to fill the vacancy during the 2020 legislative session. The appointment then is subject to Senate confirmation.

The three Court of Appeals nominees are as follows:

Carl A. Folsom, III – Folsom, Lawrence, is an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas and is a lecturer and adjunct professor at the University of Kansas School of Law. He is a member of the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Folsom earned both his bachelor’s degree in political science and his law degree from the University of Kansas.

Amy Fellows Cline – Cline, Wichita, is a litigation attorney with Triplett Woolf Garretson, LLC, where she handles primarily business litigation, including contract, oil and gas, employment and more. She is a member of multiple bar associations and community service organizations, including the Wichita Women Attorneys Association, the University of Kansas School of Law Board of Governors and the Wichita Salvation Army. Cline earned her law degree from the University of Kansas.

Diane H. Sorensen – Sorensen, Wichita, has been an attorney at the Morris, Lang law firm for more than 30 years, where she focuses on employment law and litigation. Previously she served as a law clerk to Hon. Patrick F. Kelly, United States District Court, and Hon. Alfred G. Schroeder of the Kansas Supreme Court. Sorensen earned her bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and her law degree from the University of Kansas.

Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order 20-01 on Tuesday, January 28, establishing the Court of Appeals Nominating Commission. Under Kansas law, the Governor appoints judges to the Court of Appeals subject to confirmation by the Senate. The Commission will review each applicant’s background and qualifications, conduct interviews and then submit three nominees for the Governor to consider.