Kansas Chief Justice Eric S. Rosen will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot in a nonpartisan retention vote for Supreme Court Justice Position 4.

Overland Park area voters will see the race on their ballots, as this is a statewide retention vote. No opposing candidate runs. Voters cast a simple "yes" or "no" on whether the justice should continue serving. Rosen is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

Rosen, a Topeka native, has served on the Kansas Supreme Court since 2005, according to his official court biography. His current term runs from January 2021 to January 2027. He became the 25th chief justice in Kansas history after affirming his oath of office in a Jan. 8, 2026, ceremony, according to a Kansas Courts news release.

Candidate information

Full name: Eric S. Rosen

Office sought: Kansas Supreme Court Justice, Position 4 (retention)

Party: Nonpartisan

Residence: Topeka, Kansas

Family: Rosen and his wife, Elizabeth "Libby" Rosen, have four children and ten grandchildren, according to his court biography.

Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in social work, University of Kansas, 1975
  • Master's degree, University of Kansas, 1975
  • Law degree, Washburn University, 1984
  • Appellate Judges School, New York University School of Law

Experience and public service

Before entering law, Rosen worked as a school social worker, according to the Lawrence KS Times. He attended law school part-time while raising a family.

Rosen began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Shawnee County from 1985 to 1987, according to BallotReady profile data. He then served as associate general counsel for the Kansas Securities Commissioner from 1987 to 1988.

He worked as an associate at Porter, Fairchild, Wachter, and Haney in Topeka from 1988 to 1990. He then became a partner at Hein, Ebert, and Rosen in Topeka from 1990 to 1993. He also served as an assistant public defender in Shawnee County, according to the Kansas Courts news release.

Rosen was elected a district judge in the 3rd Judicial District covering Shawnee County in 1993 and served until 2005, according to his court biography. He also served as chief judge of the domestic division in that district.

Rosen has taught as an adjunct professor at Washburn University and a lecturer at the Menninger School of Law and Psychiatry from 1993 to 2003, according to BallotReady. He also served as an instructor at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center from 2008 to 2010.

He chaired the Kansas Judicial Council and is a member of the American Judges Association and the Dwight D. Opperman Institute of Judicial Administration at New York University School of Law.

The Lawrence KS Times reported that Rosen was the first Jewish person appointed a district court judge in Kansas, the first to serve on the Kansas Supreme Court and the state's first Jewish chief justice.

The Overland Park Chronicle did not interview this candidate. This profile was compiled from public records, court documents and BallotReady election data. No issue responses from the candidate were available for this profile.