Marla Jo Luckert (born July 20, 1955) is the chief justice of the

Kansas Supreme Court The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as t ...

. She was appointed by Governor

Bill Graves William Preston Graves (born January 9, 1953) is an American former politician who was the 43rd governor of Kansas from 1995 until 2003. Career Graves was born in Salina, Kansas, to parents who owned a trucking firm. After graduating from Ka ...

on November 20, 2002, and sworn into office on January 13, 2003.

Personal life

Marla J. Luckert was born in

Goodland, Kansas Goodland is a city in and the county seat of Sherman County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,465. It was named after Goodland, Indiana. Goodland is home to Northwest Kansas Technical College ...

. At

Washburn University Washburn University (WU), formally Washburn University of Topeka, is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs as well as professional programs in law and business. The university enroll ...

she earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in history in 1977 and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Washburn University School of Law The Washburn University School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of t ...

in 1980.

Professional life

After law school, Luckert joined the

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

of Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds and Palmer in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeastern Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2020 cen ...

. She also served as an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

of law at Washburn. Luckert was appointed by Governor

Joan Finney Joan Marie Finney (née McInroy; February 12, 1925 – July 28, 2001) was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995. Prior to her tenure as governor, Finney served four terms as the Kansas state treasure ...

to the Third Judicial District Court in 1992. In 2000, she became chief judge of the Third Judicial Court. In 2003 she was appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court by Governor Bill Graves. Luckert has served as president of the

Kansas Bar Association The Kansas Bar Association (KBA) is a non-profit bar association for the state of Kansas with its headquarters in Topeka. The KBA is made up of less than 5,000 members and was established in 1882. Membership Any lawyer in good standing with ...

, the Kansas District Judges Association, the Kansas Women Attorneys Association, the Topeka Bar Association, the Sam A. Crow Inn of Court, and the Women Attorneys Association of Topeka. Luckert is a Fellow of the

American Bar Foundation The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is a nonprofit research institute established in 1952 and located in Chicago, United States. The American Bar Foundation is located in the same building as Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in do ...

and the Kansas Bar Foundation. On December 17, 2019, Luckert became chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court after the retirement of then-Chief Justice Lawton Nuss.

Awards

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

Woman of Excellence Award (1996) *

Outstanding Service Award (1990) * Kansas Association of Defense Counsel's Distinguished Service Award (1990)

References

External links

Official Biography
, - 1955 births Living people 21st-century American judges Chief justices of the Kansas Supreme Court Kansas state court judges Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court People from Goodland, Kansas People from Topeka, Kansas Washburn University alumni Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States 21st-century American women judges {{Kansas-state-judge-stub