Kansas Office of Judicial Administration

In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, we take this opportunity to highlight noteworthy Black judges in Kansas history. Today, we feature Judge Candice Alcaraz, the first Black female judge in Wyandotte County District Court. Alcaraz graduated from Washburn University School of Law in 2016. She then worked for the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney. On her first day, she walked the halls of the Wyandotte County Courthouse and saw a lack of judges who looked like her. She decided to change that. Alcaraz was elected a district judge in 2022 and took her oath in January 2023. She presides over both criminal and civil cases. She said being a Wyandotte County judge is the toughest job she’s ever had and feels the weight of her decisions daily. “I have to remain humble and willing to learn to be the most effective judge I can be for this community,” she said. Alcaraz said one of her favorite parts of being a judge is to be a role model for her community. “Whether it is talking to children during career days around the county and beyond, or mentoring current law students and colleagues, I enjoy giving back in the form of molding our future leaders,” she said. Alcaraz also values being accessible to those who need her assistance. “Early on I felt like the most unlikely person for people to look up to, but this position has put me in a place where I can’t hide,” she said. “I must act and assist where I can for the betterment of the courts and community.” For new attorneys entering the profession, Alcaraz advises them to network whenever possible. “You never know where those relationships might lead,” she said. “Attend meet-and-mingle events and reach out to those you want in your orbit because part of your career will depend on the connections you make.”

Did you know you can find information about court-based self-help centers online through our new virtual self-help website. Self-help centers provide a variety of resources for people navigating the court system, including forms, instructions, and legal information. #KSCourts #AccessToJustice #SelfHelpSaturday

Chief Justice Eric Rosen signed an order recognizing February 7 through 14 as Court Reporting Week in Kansas and celebrating the work of court reporters across the state. #KSCourts #CourtReporting

Yesterday the 28th Judicial District Nominating Commission sent the names of three nominees for district judge to Governor Laura Kelly, who has 60 days to decide who will fill the vacancy. Read more: https://buff.ly/RZ04nHP #KSCourts

The Kansas Supreme Court will conduct a special session March 10 in Abilene as part of its ongoing outreach to familiarize Kansans with the court, its work, and the role of the Kansas judiciary. #KSCourts #AbileneKS

Chief Judge Carey Hipp of the 20th Judicial District has been appointed to sit with the Kansas Court of Appeals to hear oral argument in five cases on the court’s February 10 docket. #KSCourts Fort Hays State University Oklahoma City University School of Law

Chief Justice Eric Rosen signed an order appointing 18 members to the permanent Rural Justice Initiative Committee. #KSCourts #RuralJustice #AccessToJustice University of Kansas School of Law Washburn University School of Law University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law Kansas Department of Commerce Fort Hays State University

Thank you, Mike Matson, for hosting Justice K.J. Wall on Within Reason to talk about the attorney shortage affecting rural Kansas and efforts to overcome it. #KSCourts #KSLeg

Chief Justice Eric Rosen and District Judge Timothy McCarthy, 10th Judicial District, spoke to the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning about the Rural Justice Initiative and specialty courts. #KSCourts #KSLeg Senate Committee on Judiciary https://buff.ly/qWqUmCa

In honor of Black History Month, we take this opportunity to highlight noteworthy Black attorneys in Kansas history. Today, we feature Lutie Lytle, the first African American woman admitted to practice law in Kansas. Lytle moved to Topeka around 1882 during the Exoduster movement, a time when tens of thousands of Black families were moving from the South to Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. She lived with her family a block north of where the Monroe Elementary School would be built. That school is now home to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park. Lytle attended Topeka High School before moving to Tennessee and attending Central Tennessee College. In September 1897, she became the first African American woman licensed to practice law in Tennessee. In that same month, she returned to Topeka and became the first African American woman admitted to practice law in Kansas. While in Topeka, she continued her work helping African Americans through the legal system. Lytle later moved back to Tennessee to teach at Central Tennessee College. She eventually moved to Brooklyn, New York, with her husband where she lived and practiced law for the remainder of her life. Lytle was a trailblazer in her time, paving the way for future generations of Black Americans. #BlackHistoryMonth Portrait courtesy of KansasMemory.org, Kansas Historical Soceity