Gov. Sam Brownback won't set a date for nominating a candidate for an open seat in the state's appeals court system.
The top Democrat in the Senate, Anthony Hensley of Topeka, has called for naming a candidate by the end of this week. He says that would give lawmakers more time to consider the nominee.
Brownback told reporters that he’s planning on starting interviews with candidates in the coming days. He says the background checks could take enough time that it would not be possible to name a candidate this week.
“We have target dates we’re shooting for," said Brownback. "And we want to move it forward, we want to move it as aggressively as we can. But I don’t have a date I can announce to you right now. But we want to get it out there in plenty of time for people to look the nominee over.”
This appeals court nomination is drawing so much attention because it’s the first since lawmakers changed the selection process. In the past, a nominating commission selected candidates, and the governor picked one of them. Now, the governor chooses a candidate who then must be confirmed by the state Senate.
Lawmakers will consider the nomination during a special legislative session in September.
