Kathleen Watson
Republican · KS · District Court Judge, Eighteenth Judicial District, Division 15
Kathleen Watson is a Sedgwick County district judge assigned to civil cases and a former magistrate judge who handled evictions and small claims. A University of Kansas law graduate, she was a managing attorney at Kansas Legal Services.
Track record
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 4 favorable
Appointed by Governor Laura Kelly on 2025-05-09 as a Sedgwick County district court judge, replacing retired Judge David Kauffman. Before that, she was the magistrate judge handling evictions, debt collection, and small claims cases.
May 9, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: digital-release.ksn.com
Named by the Kansas Supreme Court on 2025-01-10 to the committee that advises on training for Kansas judges. Her term runs through June 30, 2027.
January 10, 2025Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: kscourts.gov
Named by the Kansas Supreme Court on 2024-09-12 to its committee on best practices for eviction cases. She joined as a magistrate judge in the 18th Judicial District, replacing Judge Rodger Woods.
September 12, 2024Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: kscourts.gov
Appointed by Governor Laura Kelly on 2023-06-15 as a magistrate judge in Sedgwick County's 18th Judicial District. She was then a managing attorney at Kansas Legal Services, which gives free legal help to low-income Kansans. She had also served on a state advisory board that oversaw federal crisis grant money.
June 15, 2023Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: wibw.com
Past race Kathleen Watson ran in:
- District Court Judge, Eighteenth Judicial District, Division 15 (Sedgwick County) · November 3, 2026 · Sedgwick County, Kansas · incumbent