The longest tenured judge to serve on the Kansas Court of Appeals will retire April 3rd.
Judge G. Joseph Pierron Jr., joined the court in December 1990. Since then, he has written 392 published opinions and heard thousands of appeals. The Court of Appeals hears all appeals from District Courts in both civil and criminal cases, except those that may be appealed directly to the Kansas Supreme Court. Most of the time, panels of three judges hear the appeals, and the travel across the state to do so.
He is known for using “spike the wonder dog,” one of his sons stuffed animals to illustrate how cases work when he talks with groups and students about the court system. Governor Laura Kelly will appoint a replacement for his position which must be approved by the Kansas Senate.
