Leawood resident Larkin E. Walsh will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot in a retention vote for her Kansas Supreme Court seat. Voters will decide whether to keep Walsh, the court's newest justice, in Position 6.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Walsh on Aug. 7, 2025, to fill the vacancy left by Justice Evelyn Wilson's retirement on July 4, 2025, according to the Kansas Judicial Branch. She was informally sworn in on Sept. 17, 2025, and formally sworn in on Nov. 21, 2025.

In a Kansas retention election, voters decide whether to keep a sitting justice. A "yes" vote retains Walsh; a "no" vote removes her from the bench.

There is no opposing candidate.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Kansas Supreme Court Justice, Position 6
  • Residence: Leawood, Kansas
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Education: Bachelor's degrees in English and studio art, Southern Methodist University, 2001; juris doctor, University of Kansas, 2004
  • Notable: Walsh is the seventh woman to serve on the Kansas Supreme Court in its 164-year history and the first woman to join the court directly from private practice, according to the Kansas Judicial Branch. The Kansas Reflector reported she is the youngest justice on the court.

Experience and public service

Walsh held several positions in private practice and public service before her appointment, according to the Kansas Judicial Branch and BallotReady:

  • Senior counsel, Stueve Siegel Hanson (2024–2025)
  • Partner, Sharp Law (2020–2024)
  • Attorney, Sharp Law (2017–2020)
  • Attorney, Chinnery Evans & Nail (2016–2017)
  • Of counsel, Stueve Siegel Hanson (2013–2016)
  • Law clerk, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas (2008–2012)
  • Research attorney, Kansas Supreme Court, for Justice Carol A. Beier (2005; 2008; 2012–2013)

In her final dozen years of private practice, Walsh focused on civil rights, workers' rights, consumer protection and complex class actions, according to the Kansas Judicial Branch. She maintained an appellate practice in Kansas appellate courts, multiple U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Walsh also served as a member of the Kansas Board of Law Examiners and as co-chair, then editor, of the Kansas Bar Association Annual Survey of Law.

On the issues

Judicial philosophy: Walsh said she is "profoundly committed to the fundamental mission of the courts: ensuring access to fair and impartial justice through fidelity to the rule of law." She pledged to faithfully interpret and impartially apply the law to the facts of each unique case, irrespective of popular opinion or political wins, while maintaining what she called a "humble awareness" of each decision's impact on people and on history, according to a statement published by the Kansas Judicial Branch.

Responses in the "On the issues" section reflect the candidate's own statements and do not represent the views of the Overland Park Chronicle. No additional issue responses were provided by the candidate.