Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Jacy J. Hurst will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot in a nonpartisan retention vote for Position 13. Voters will decide whether Hurst keeps her seat.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Kansas Court of Appeals Judge, Position 13 (retention)
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration, University of Kansas (2002); J.D., University of Kansas (2006)

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Hurst to the Court of Appeals on Feb. 11, 2021, according to her Wikipedia biography. Hurst filled the vacancy left by Judge Melissa Standridge, who was elevated to the Kansas Supreme Court. The Kansas Senate confirmed Hurst on March 23, 2021.

Upon her confirmation, Hurst became the first woman of color to serve on the Kansas Court of Appeals, according to her Wikipedia biography.

Her current term runs from January 2023 to January 2027, according to the Kansas Courts website. She is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady.

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Hurst worked as an attorney at Stinson Leonard Street LLP from 2007 to 2014, according to BallotReady. She then served as general counsel and chief compliance officer at Swope Health Services from 2014 to 2017. She was a partner at Kutak Rock from 2017 until her appointment in 2021.

Her Wikipedia entry also notes she provided pro bono legal services to individuals in criminal and family law cases.

She has served as an adjunct professor at Washburn University School of Law since 2020, according to BallotReady. Her volunteer work includes serving as a board member of the Douglas County United Way starting in 2018 and board chair from 2020 to 2021, according to the Kansas Courts website.

Hurst is a member of the Kansas Bar Association, Kansas Women Attorneys Association and National Association of Women Lawyers, according to the Kansas Courts website. Her honors include the National Association of Women Lawyers Challenge Club Recipient award.

On the issues

No issue responses from Hurst were available for this profile.

This profile was compiled from publicly available sources, including the Kansas Courts website, BallotReady and the candidate's Wikipedia biography. No candidate questionnaire responses were available at the time of publication.