Rhonda K. Mason, a Johnson County district court judge since January 2017, faces a retention vote on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot. Voters will decide whether to retain Mason in Kansas District Court, 10th Judicial District, Division 4.
The race is nonpartisan. Kansas uses a merit-selection system for district court judges, who then stand for periodic retention votes rather than contested elections. Mason was appointed to the Division 4 seat on Dec. 12, 2016, by Governor Sam Brownback, according to her Johnson County District Court biography.
According to Johnson County's Women's History Month recognition, Mason became the first Black district court judge to serve Johnson County and only the second in Kansas when she was sworn in during January 2017.
Candidate information
- Name: Rhonda K. Mason
- Residence: Olathe, Kansas
- Born: 1970, Kansas City, Missouri
- Education: High school diploma, Washington High School (1988); bachelor's degree in history, Oakwood University (1992); juris doctor, Washburn University (1996)
- Appointed: Dec. 12, 2016, by Governor Sam Brownback
Experience and public service
Mason spent two decades in legal practice before her appointment to the bench. Her career spanned prosecution, private practice and corporate law.
She served as a law clerk for Judge Thomas H. Newton at the Jackson County Circuit Court from 1998 to 1999, according to her district court biography. She then worked as a trial team leader at the Jackson County, Missouri, prosecutor's office from 1998 to 2003, according to BallotReady.
Mason moved into private-sector and civil practice after the prosecutor's office. She worked as an attorney at Allstate from 2003 to 2006, then at Foland Wickens P.C. from 2006 to 2009, according to BallotReady. She ran her own Mason Law Firm from 2009 to 2011, according to her district court biography. She then served as managing attorney at GEICO from 2011 until her appointment to the bench in 2017, according to BallotReady.
She has served as judge in Division 4 since January 2017.
Professional memberships
Mason is a member of the American Judges Association, the Johnson County Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, the Kansas City Bar Association, the Jackson County Bar and the Olathe Public School Foundation's Women's Giving Circle, according to her district court biography.
On the issues
No issue responses or policy statements from Mason were available for this profile.
This profile is based on publicly available records and candidate data. No candidate interview or questionnaire responses were available.
