Introduction
Marla Luckert (born July 20, 1955) is the Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court appointed by Governor Bill Graves on Nov. 20, 2002 and sworn on January 13, 2003.
Personal life
Marla J. Luckert was born July 20, 1955 in Goodland, Kansas. At Washburn University she earned a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1977 and a Juris Doctor from Washburn University School of Law in 1980.
Professional life
After earning her law degree at Washburn, Luckert she joined the firm of Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds and Palmer in Topeka, Kansas. She also served as an adjunct professor of law at Washburn. Luckert was appointed by Governor Joan Finney to the Third Judicial District Court in 1992. In 2000 she became chief justice 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 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 will face her next retention election in 2010. Luckert is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Kansas Bar Foundation. In her last election to hold her seat she was approved with 686,532 (76.5%) compared to 209,972 (23.4%) disapproving votes.
On December 17, 2019, Luckert became Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court after the retirement of Lawton Nuss.
Awards
- YWCA Woman of Excellence Award (1996)
- Kansas Bar Association Outstanding Service Award (1990)
- Kansas Association of Defense Counsel's Distinguished Service Award (1990)