TOPEKA—District Judge Timothy Chambers will retire January 11 after serving in the 27th Judicial District since 2001.
Chambers was elected judge in the 27th Judicial District, which is composed of Reno County, after serving as county attorney and then district attorney. He has overseen both civil and criminal cases and has been appointed to sit with both the Kansas Supreme Court and Kansas Court of Appeals.
"I can think of no higher calling in the practice of law than that of being a trial judge," Chambers said. "I explain to school groups during tours and mock trials that the job of a judge is to see the law is followed and then do what is fair."
Becoming a judge was a logical progression in his career, he said.
"I became a prosecutor because I thoroughly enjoy trial work. I became a judge because I enjoy the courtroom but, more importantly, because of the role a judge plays in the legal profession and in society: seeing the law is followed and a just result obtained," he said.
Chambers said he would encourage any lawyer to consider becoming a judge.
"The primary requirement is to know and follow the law and then do what you think is right," he said.
Chambers grew up in Newton. He graduated from Newton High School, Washburn University, and Washburn University School of Law. He was briefly in private practice in Kansas City before moving to Hutchinson in 1978 to be an assistant county attorney. Four years later he was elected county attorney and became the county's first district attorney in 1999. He was named the 1991 Kansas Prosecutor of the Year.
He and his wife, Connie, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in June. They have four children and six grandchildren.
"Family life is crucial to being able to handle the dysfunction and trauma a judge deals with on a daily basis. I cannot thank Connie and the rest of the family enough for the support they have provided over the years," he said.
District judges in the 27th Judicial District are elected by partisan ballot. Chambers was last elected to a four-year term in 2016.