By James Bell and Becky Kiser
Hays Post

After 23 years of serving as a District Judge, Edward Bouker has announced his resignation from the 23rd Judicial District to serve as a Kansas Senior Judge.

Bouker had previously announced his he would not seek re-election for another term for his current seat, but due to the timing required to become a Senior Judge, he will have to resign a bit earlier than expected.

“I had expressed interest in becoming a Senior Judge in the State of Kansas and heard … that I had been asked to do that,” Bouker said. “And because the senior contracts run from June 4 I had to resign the day before that to take that contract.”

While the position will allow Bouker to take on cases from around the state, he said cases he would be assigned would likely be very similar to his current case load.

“I think it would be an extremely broad type of case load as it is with a District Judge. you handle virtually everything from traffic matters up through murder,” he said.

Requests for a senior judge are assigned by the Supreme Court on an as-needed basis.

“There is someone from the office of Judicial Administration – which is the business arm of the Kansas Supreme Court – will call and say ‘we need a judge here for this type of case involving these parties and these attorneys and we would like you to take it,’ ” Bouker said.

Cases are assigned to Senior Judges in areas where sitting judges may have a conflict of interest or a high case load creates a need.

“I think I would be likely to be assigned to almost anywhere in the state where I was needed, so I expect to travel quite a bit,” Bouker said.

But even with travel, Bouker expects a lighter caseload, allowing for more personal time with family, while at the same time allowing him to continue contributing to the judicial system.

Senior Judges have a case load about 40 percent lower than District Court Judges.

With Bouker approaching 65 years old next April, he said he could take judicial retirement, but becoming a Senior Judge will open more options.

“This will allow me to have some more options about not taking social security right away,” he said.

But more importantly, Bouker wants to continue being an active member of the Kansas Judiciary.

“The biggest thing is simply being young enough that I feel like I can contribute, and I’d like to continue to do that,” he said.

The lower case load will also allow him to pursue other activities that a full-time judge would struggle to find time for.

“I would like some more time to do what I like to do. I have two granddaughters I’d like to spend time with them. I’d like to travel to see my children that are spread out across the United States,” Bouker said. “I have some home projects and some hobbies that I would like to spend time with, but I don’t want to be totally disconnected from everything.”

Leaving, however, means losing something special – a close relationship with associates in the district.

“I have been very, very proud and happy to be a district judge in this area. I have enjoyed it very much and it is very much of an honor. I feel like I work with some very amazing people who have done an outstanding job in the face of some very difficult challenges,” Bouker said. “I don’t have a better word for it than remarkable. I’ll miss being with them every day, but it’s time to see what else is out there.”