Topic: poverty cases
Interview of Thomas (Tim) Owens, October 14, 2022
Interviewed by Nancy Parrish
In this oral history interview, Tim Owens described his career path from military officer to private attorney to city council member to the state legislature. He served seven years in the Kansas House and then ran for the Kansas Senate where he chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee. Owens recounts the pressure from Governor Brownback to change the merit selection procedure for judges, making them elected. Also, the education bills were then being sent to the Judiciary Committee because of lawsuits and that caused friction because of the court's decisions on resolving the Montoy and Gannon school finance Show Morecases. Owens also dealt with a death penalty bill which failed 20-20. He described frequent trips "across the street" carrying messages between the Chief Justice and the Governor's office. He lost his bid for reelection to the Senate in 2012 and afterward taught at Johnson County Community College and retired from the military as a full colonel. He also served a year as municipal judge in Lenexa. Show Less
Interview of Richard Walker, December 2, 2022
Interviewed by Nancy Parrish
Richard Walker's oral history interview shows the human side of being a judge for 30 years in his hometown of Newton. After a brief foray into politics while fresh out of law school and the private practice of law, Walker found his niche on the bench in his hometown of Newton in Harvey County KS. His describes of a group of young Republican lawmakers organizing to elect Wendell Lady as Speaker. Walker became disillusioned about the parole board practices during his service there but saw a way as a judge to look for creative, flexible alternatives to Show Moreresolving domestic situations and preventing children from being damaged in the process. In 2015 he moved to senior judge status and worked with the Court of Appeals, largely because "he had had it with domestic cases." Show Less