Judge Lori Bolton Fleming will appear on the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, Kansas general election ballot for a retention vote on Position 7 of the Kansas Court of Appeals.
The nonpartisan retention question asks voters whether Fleming should continue serving on the state's intermediate appellate court. She is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.
Fleming was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Laura Kelly in March 2025 to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Henry Green Jr. The Kansas Senate confirmed her appointment in March 2025. She was sworn in July 30, 2025, becoming the 46th attorney and the 15th woman to serve on the court in its 48-year history, according to the Kansas courts system.
Candidate information
- Name: Lori Ann Bolton Fleming
- Residence: Pittsburg, Kansas
- Office sought: Kansas Court of Appeals Judge, Position 7 (retention)
- Party: Nonpartisan
- Education: Bachelor's degree in music education, Pittsburg State University, 1996; juris doctor cum laude, Washburn University School of Law, 2001. Fleming served as editor-in-chief of the Washburn Law Journal and received the Outstanding Senior Woman award from Washburn's law school, according to the Kansas courts website.
Experience and public service
She began as an assistant county attorney at the Crawford County Attorney's Office from 2001 to 2003, then worked as an attorney at Spigarelli Law Firm from 2003 to 2010, according to BallotReady profile data. Before her first judicial appointment, she taught at Leavenworth Public Schools in 1996–1997 and coached debate and forensics at Fort Scott High School in 1997–1998, according to the Kansas courts website.
Fleming served as an adjunct professor at Pittsburg State University from 2008 to 2009, then as legal clinic director there from 2009 to 2012. She also worked of counsel at Wilbert & Towner, P.A., from 2010 to 2012, according to BallotReady.
Gov. Sam Brownback appointed Fleming as a district court judge in the 11th Judicial District in 2012, according to the governor's office announcement. She rose to chief judge of that district in June 2021 and served in that role until April 2025. During her tenure as chief judge, Fleming created the district's first recovery court and served as its administrator, according to the governor's office.
Fleming also served as an assigned district judge at the Kansas Court of Appeals from October 2017 to August 2018 and at the Kansas Supreme Court in March 2021, according to the Kansas courts website.
She partnered with Pittsburg State University to create a pre-law internship program aimed at addressing the rural attorney shortage, according to the governor's office announcement.
On the issues
Fleming did not submit issue responses for this profile.
Candidate profiles are based on publicly available records, official government sources and election data reviewed by our newsroom. The Wichita Ledger does not endorse candidates. Voters can find their full ballot at BallotReady.
