Overview:
District Judge candidate brings years of courtroom experience to her quest for a seat on the bench.
Key Points
- Jacqueline Kelly, a former prosecutor, is running for District Judge in the 18th Judicial District.
- The Republican primary on Aug. 6 will determine the replacement for outgoing judge Patrick Walters.
- Kelly’s opponents in the primary are Clark V. Owens, Joshua D. Wright, and Jarrod Kieffer.
Jacqueline Kelly says she has had a lifelong dream of being a judge.
“I think I have the right temperament for the job. I can follow the law and still be kind and respectful to all the parties involved,” she says.
On Aug.6, she’ll find out if the voters of Sedgwick County agree with her when she faces off against three opponents in the Republican primary for District Judge in the 18th Judicial District, Division 14.
Since there are no candidates in the Democratic primary, the Republican winner on Aug. 6 will replace outgoing judge Patrick Walters who did not file for re-election after 16 years on the bench.
It was the Air Force that brought Jacqueline, her husband, Darryl Kelly and their three small children to Wichita from Newport News, Va., in 2009. But, Jacqueline says, “The incredible people we’ve met along the way is what has kept us here.”
She was an analyst for federal defense programs in Virginia, but after arriving in Wichita, she was a stay-at-home mom while the family got settled.Their oldest daughter, Jada, was just 4, son Trey was 2 and the youngest, Janae, was an infant.
As her children grew older, she decided to seize the opportunity to follow a dream to attend law school. She was accepted to Washburn University School of Law in Topeka and spent a tough three years of balancing law school as a commuting student, motherhood, and supporting Darryl’s deployments.
“I learned what a great family support system the Air Force has,” she said.
She earned a prestigious internship with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas and graduated with her juris doctorate in 2014. Along the way, she said, she became more and more dedicated to Kansas.
“Wichita has been wonderful to us,” she says. “As we got settled here, Darryl convinced his brother, Corinthian, to move to Wichita to take advantage of the opportunity at Wichita State University. When he married, his wife, Latasha, came to Wichita too. Since then, his little sister, Veronica has also joined the family in Wichita.”
Jacqueline’s first legal position was as a prosecutor in Sedgwick County, specializing in civil probate, juvenile offender and traffic cases. From there, she worked as city attorney for the city of Bel Aire and since 2022 has been city attorney for Derby, advising the city’s management and governing body on a range of civil law matters.
She is actively involved in the community, serving as president of the Wichita Women Attorneys Association and vice chair of the Kansas Real Estate Commission. She is also an Honorary Commander at McConnell Air Force Base and participates in The Gathering steering committee to support and retain diverse talent in Wichita.
Darryl is now retired from the Air Force and currently serves as the Director of Business Partnerships for the Kansas Leadership Center.
She and Darryl are dedicated to their church, Central Christian Church, love to travel and are committed to investing time, prayer and resources in Jayda, Trey and Janae.
Her primary opponents include Clark V. Owens, Joshua D. Wright and Jarrod Kieffer.
History of Black Judges in Sedgwick County
There are currently no African-American judges serving on the District Court in Sedgwick County.
The last Black judge was Monique Centeno who was appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly to complete an unexpired term in 2019. Before her, Judge Greg Waller who left office in 2015 after serving for 21 years. Judge Jennifer Jones, who was the first Black female judge in Kansas, served on the district court from 1992 to 2000.
In Sedgwick County, where judges run in partisan/ political races for “retention,” and in Sedgwick County it’s difficult for a Democrat to get elected. It was this partisan, retention, election process that pushed all three of these Black judges out of their position.
Today there are no Democrats serving as judges in Sedgwick County on the District Court level.
Kelly has a chance as a Republican.
