Judge Lori Bolton Fleming will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, Kansas general election ballot for a retention vote on Position 7 of the Kansas Court of Appeals.

The race is nonpartisan. Voters will be asked whether Fleming should remain on the bench. She has been certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

Fleming was appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Laura Kelly in March 2025 to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Henry Green Jr. The Kansas Senate confirmed her that same month.

She is the 46th attorney and the 15th woman to serve on the Kansas Court of Appeals in the court's 48-year history, according to Kansas Courts.

Candidate information

  • Name: Lori Ann Bolton Fleming
  • Residence: Pittsburg, Kansas
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in music education, Pittsburg State University (1996); juris doctor cum laude, Washburn University School of Law (2001)
  • Law school honors: Editor-in-chief of the Washburn Law Journal; Outstanding Senior Woman award from Washburn University School of Law

Experience and public service

Before entering the legal profession, Fleming taught at Leavenworth Public Schools from 1996 to 1997 and served as a teacher and debate and forensics coach at Fort Scott High School from 1997 to 1998, according to her Kansas Courts biography.

After earning her law degree, Fleming worked as an assistant county attorney at the Crawford County Attorney's Office from 2001 to 2003. She then joined Spigarelli Law Firm, where she practiced from 2003 to 2010, according to BallotReady.

She served as an adjunct professor at Pittsburg State University from 2008 to 2009 and as legal clinic director there from 2009 to 2012. She also worked of counsel at Wilbert & Towner, P.A. from 2010 to 2012.

Gov. Sam Brownback appointed Fleming as a district court judge in the 11th Judicial District in 2012, according to the governor's office announcement. She served in that role until 2025 and became chief judge of the district in June 2021.

As chief judge, Fleming created the district's first recovery court and served as its administrator, according to the governor's office. She also partnered with Pittsburg State University to create a pre-law internship program aimed at addressing the rural attorney shortage.

Fleming served as an assigned district judge at the Kansas Court of Appeals from Oct. 2017 to Aug. 2018 and at the Kansas Supreme Court in March 2021, according to her Kansas Courts biography.

On the issues

No issue responses or policy positions from Fleming were available for this profile.

No questionnaire responses or issue statements from this candidate were available. This profile is based on publicly available records. Voters seeking more information can visit the Kansas Courts website or BallotReady.