Today Governor Laura Kelly appointed Richard Marquez, Garden City, to the 25th Judicial District vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Robert J. Frederick.
“With decades of legal experience in both civil and criminal cases and a successful career representing people throughout southwest Kansas, I know Ric will be an excellent addition to the district court,” Governor Kelly said. “He has not only the legal skills, but also a remarkable dedication to the profession and to his community that makes him well suited to service on the bench.”
Marquez has been a private practice attorney at Lindner, Marquez & Koksal since 1994, where he represents clients in a wide variety of areas including personal injury, criminal defense, domestic disputes, estate matters, and business litigation. Prior to private sector legal work, Marquez served in the U.S. Army in the Judge Advocate General Corps from 1987 to 1990.
He is a member of the Kansas Bar Association, the Kansas Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Association for Justice. Marquez lives with his wife in Garden City where he is active in various organizations including the Russell Child Development Center, Finney County Law Library Committee, and the YMCA of Southwest Kansas.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve my community as a judge,” Marquez said. “Throughout my career I’ve done my best to treat all people with kindness and understanding while also applying the law fairly, and that’s exactly what I hope to do in my new role as a district judge.”
District court judges in the 25th Judicial District are appointed by the governor and selected from nominees chosen by a district nominating commission. Judges in nominating commission districts are subject to retention elections every four years.
The other nominees selected by the district nominating commission were Brian Sherwood (an Assistant Finney County Attorney) and Nicholas Vrana (an Assistant Douglas County Attorney).