Marla Luckert
Encyclopedia
Kansas Supreme Court
The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, the Court supervises the legal profession, administers over the judicial branch, and serves as the state court of last resort in the appeals...
Justice appointed by Governor Bill Graves
Bill Graves
William Preston "Bill" Graves , was the 43rd Governor of Kansas from 1995 until 2003.Graves was born in Salina, Kansas in 1953 to parents who owned a trucking firm...
on Nov. 20, 2002 and sworn in January 13, 2003.
Personal life
Marla J. Luckert was born July 20, 1955 in GoodlandGoodland, Kansas
Goodland is a city in and the county seat of Sherman County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,489.-History:...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. At Washburn University
Washburn University
Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
she earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in history in 1977 and J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Washburn University School of Law
Washburn University School of Law
The Washburn University School of Law, commonly referred to as Washburn 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 has 79 faculty members and 445 students...
in 1980. She is married to Ken Morse and has three daughters Sarah, Alisa, and Arin.
Professional life
After earning her law degree at Washburn, Luckert she joined the firmLaw 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 clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
of Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds and Palmer in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. She also served as an adjunct professor of law at Washburn. Luckert was appointed by Governor Joan Finney
Joan Finney
Joan Finney , served as the 42nd Governor of Kansas from 1991 to 1995.She was born Joan Marie McInroy in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Leonard and Mary Sands McInroy. She graduated from high school in Manhattan, Kansas in 1942. In 1957, she married Spencer Finney, Jr...
to the Third Judicial District Court
Kansas District Courts
The Kansas District Courts are the state trial courts of general jurisdiction in the U.S. state of Kansas. The Courts have original jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases, and jury trials are held in the Courts...
in 1992. In 2000 she became chief justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Third Judicial Court. In 2003 she was appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court by Governor Bill Graves.
Justice Luckert has served as president of the Kansas Bar Association
Kansas Bar Association
The Kansas Bar Association is a voluntary, non-profit bar association for the state of Kansas with the headquarters located at 12th and Harrison St. in Topeka. The KBA has approximately 7,000 members and was founded in 1882.- Membership :...
, 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
American Bar Foundation
Established in 1952, the ' is an independent, nonprofit national research institute located in Chicago, Illinois committed to objective empirical research on law and legal institutions...
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.
Awards
- YWCAYWCAThe YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
Woman of Excellence Award (1996) - Kansas Bar AssociationKansas Bar AssociationThe Kansas Bar Association is a voluntary, non-profit bar association for the state of Kansas with the headquarters located at 12th and Harrison St. in Topeka. The KBA has approximately 7,000 members and was founded in 1882.- Membership :...
Outstanding Service Award (1990) - Kansas Association of Defense Counsel's Distinguished Service Award (1990)