Kansas voters will decide whether to keep Judge Lesley Ann Isherwood on the state Court of Appeals when her Position 2 seat appears on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The nonpartisan retention question asks voters to answer yes or no. Isherwood, a Wichita resident, was last retained on Nov. 8, 2022, winning 69.3% of the vote, according to Ballotpedia. That election drew 844,834 total votes, with 585,458 in favor and 259,376 against. Her current term runs from January 2023 through January 2027.

Candidate information

  • Name: Lesley Ann Isherwood
  • Office sought: Kansas Court of Appeals Judge, Position 2 (retention)
  • Residence: Wichita, Kansas
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in English, Washburn University, 1995; juris doctor, Washburn University School of Law, 1998
  • Law school honors: Order of Barristers; NONOSO Honor Society; editor of the Family Law Quarterly; best overall in the Moot Court Selection Process

Experience and public service

Governor Laura Kelly appointed Isherwood to the Court of Appeals on Feb. 18, 2021, to replace Judge Steve Leben, according to Ballotpedia. The Kansas Senate confirmed her on March 23, 2021.

Before joining the bench, Isherwood spent more than two decades in the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. She served as senior assistant district attorney from 1999 to 2021 and argued hundreds of cases before the Kansas Court of Appeals and Kansas Supreme Court, according to the Kansas Courts website.

She started in private practice. From 1998 to 1999, she worked as an associate attorney at Williams, Stroble, Malone, Mason & Ralph.

Notable opinions listed by the Kansas Bar Association include Heritage Tractor, Inc. v. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc. (2024), Sajadi v. Kansas Board of Healing Arts (2021) and State v. Collins (2026).

Isherwood received the Wichita Business Journal 40 Under 40 award in 2012. Her community involvement includes membership in the Kansas Children's Service League since 2017 and Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland since 2012, according to the Kansas Courts website.

She served on the board of directors of the Junior League of Wichita from 2008 to 2011, holding roles including director of planning, director of community projects and project development committee chair. She also served on the board and leadership council of Dress for Success from 2006 to 2012.

Isherwood is a member of the Wichita Bar Association. She formerly belonged to the National District Attorneys Association and the Kansas County and District Attorneys Association.

Candidate information is drawn from the Kansas Courts website, the Kansas Bar Association, Ballotpedia and BallotReady. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this profile.