Office of the Governor

TOPEKA–Kansas Governor Sam Brownback today announced the appointments of  Blake Bittel of Hays as a 23rd District Judge, Steven Santala of Satanta as a 26th District Magistrate Judge and Jeff Dewey of Wichita as an 18th District Judge. Each nominee was the winner of respective Republican primaries and are unopposed in the November general election.

“I am pleased to appoint Blake Bittel, Steven Santala, and Jeff Dewey to district court positions,” said Governor Brownback. “They each bring strong backgrounds and experience to the bench and will serve their fellow Kansans well.”

Bittel currently is engaged in the private practice of law with the Hays office of Kennedy Berkley Yarnevich & Williamson. He is a 1994 graduate of Fort Hays State University and of  Oklahoma City University College of Law. He will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Edward Bouker. The 23rd District is comprised of Ellis, Gove, Rooks, and Trego Counties.

According to the Kennedy Berkley Yarnevick & Williamson website, Bittel was born in WaKeeney and raised in Ellis.

Santala was previously a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. He will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of District Magistrate Judge Tommy Webb. The 26th District is comprised of Grant, Haskell, Morton, Seward, Stanton, and Stevens Counties.

Dewey currently is engaged in the private practice of law with Dewey & Lund. He is a graduate of Wichita State University and Washburn University School of Law. He will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Judge Douglas Roth. The 18th District is comprised of Sedgwick County.

The state’s 105 counties are organized into 31 Judicial Districts. The district courts serve as the trial courts for the state, overseeing all civil and criminal cases.