Sebelius appoints Washington County Attorney to district court
Kim Cudney replaces Chief Judge Thomas Tuggle in the 12th Judicial District

A Greenleaf, Kansas, resident with experience in private practice and as county attorney, will become the first female district judge in the 12th Judicial District.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius today announced the appointment of Kim Cudney to the seat, which serves the counties of Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, and Washington.

“Kim’s sense of fairness and objectivity will be essential as she serves citizens of the 12th Judicial District,” Sebelius said. “Her experience as a county attorney and also in private practice gives her a broad perspective of the judicial system and I’m confident she’ll make a strong jurist.

Cudney has served as county attorney of Washington County for 10 years, and has worked in private practice since 1993.  She was elected county attorney in 1996, and reelected in 2000 and 2004.  As county attorney, Cudney prosecutes both adult and juvenile criminal cases. Within her private practice, she is engaged in civil litigation, family law, probate and estate planning, and works on a variety of legal matters for her clients.

Cudney graduated from Kansas State University in 1986 with a degree in political science.  In 1989, she received her law degree from Washburn University School of Law and was named a National Association of Women Lawyers Outstanding Woman Law Graduate.

Cudney is a member of the Kansas Bar Association, the National District Attorney’s Association and the Kansas County and District Attorney’s Association.  She’s also active with the Washington Rotary Club.

Cudney fills the vacancy by Chief Judge Thomas Tuggle, who resigned. 

She and her husband, Mark, have two boys, Colin, 10, and Garrett, 6.

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