Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, chose Leawood attorney Larkin Walsh from among three nominees to fill a vacancy on the seven-member Kansas Supreme Court. (Pool photo by Evert Nelson/Topeka Capital-Journal)
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly appointed an attorney in private practice who has argued cases before the state and federal appellate courts to fill a vacancy on the Kansas Supreme Court.
The governor said Thursday that she’d selected Larkin Walsh from among three finalists nominated by a merit-selection commission. She will replace Justice Evelyn Wilson, a Kelly appointee, who resigned July 4.
The selection by Kelly was the Democratic governor’s fourth appointment to the seven-justice Supreme Court.
“Larkin’s extensive legal experience and her background of service makes her an excellent addition to the Kansas Supreme Court,” Kelly said in a press release. “Her deep understanding of appellate courts, combined with her breadth of experience in civil practice, gives her a unique and invaluable perspective.”
Walsh has been a lawyer with the Stueve Siegel and Hanson law firm since 2024. Her primary areas of focus include appellate, civil rights, consumer protection, and labor and employment law. She has briefed and argued cases in the Kansas appellate courts, as well as in the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Sixth Circuit, Ninth Circuit, Tenth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
She spent eight years advising the judiciary at the federal district court and state appellate court levels. Walsh was a clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Carlos Murguia and was a research attorney for former Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier.
Walsh earned bachelor’s degrees at Southern Methodist University and a law degree from the University of Kansas.
“I am deeply honored by the governor’s trust, humbled by her confidence and grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Kansas as a member of our state’s highest court,” Walsh said.
She said she had a “profound respect for the institution of the judiciary, its role in our three-part system of government and the responsibility of a justice to protect the foundational principles set forth in our state and federal constitutions.”
In 20 years practicing law, Walsh said her experiences reinforced her commitment to the fundamental mission of the courts to ensure access to fair and impartial justice through adherence to the rule of law.
“I will strive to be the type of justice that all Kansans deserve,” she said. “One who, with a clear understanding of the legal issues, will faithfully interpret and impartially apply the law to the unique facts of each case, irrespective of popular opinion or the political winds, while maintaining an awareness of each decision’s impact on people and on history. The citizens of Kansas deserve nothing less.”
In June, the nominating commission also recommended to the governor Douglas County District Court Judge Amy Hanley and Johnson County District Court Judge Christopher Jayaram.
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