Amy Fellows Cline, a Kansas Court of Appeals judge since 2021, faces a retention vote on Nov. 3, 2026. Voters statewide, including in Johnson County, will decide whether to retain Cline in Position 3 on the appellate bench.

Retention elections have no opponents; voters decide yes or no on whether the judge stays on the bench.

Cline said she is running because she enjoys helping people resolve legal disputes. "I enjoy helping people and, since our court handles about 1,500 cases a year, we get to help a lot of people resolve legal disputes," Cline wrote in a candidate questionnaire. She added that she tries to write opinions in a plainspoken way so parties can understand the analysis and outcome.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Kansas Court of Appeals Judge, Position 3 (retention)
  • Party: Nonpartisan (appellate judicial elections in Kansas are nonpartisan, Cline said)
  • Education: University of Kansas School of Law, 2000; Wichita State University, B.A. magna cum laude in political science, 1997
  • Family: Cline said she is not comfortable releasing personal information about her family. No one in her family works in politics or government, she said.

Experience

Cline described her work history in the questionnaire as Kansas Court of Appeals judge from 2021 to the present, attorney at Triplett Woolf Garretson, LLC in Wichita from 2004 to 2021, and attorney at Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch, LLC in Wichita from 2000 to 2004. She said this is her first and only elected or appointed office.

Asked what qualifies her for the job, Cline cited her experience representing clients across the state in several areas of law, which she said is similar to the work of the Court of Appeals. She said she issues opinions expediently and carries out her duties faithfully and impartially.

On the issues

Handling cases where the law seems unfair: Cline said cases where citizens do not understand or know the law can be difficult, and the outcome can seem unfair. She said judges sometimes must apply the law regardless of whether the people involved knew they were violating it. Cline said she spends much of her time speaking to schools and community groups to increase civics education.

Judicial accountability: Cline pointed voters to the Kansas Courts website, kscourts.gov, where appellate opinions are posted every Friday and most oral arguments are livestreamed and archived. She encouraged voters to read opinions and watch oral arguments to judge whether judges follow the law, issue opinions expediently and treat attorneys and parties respectfully.

Making the court faster and clearer: Cline said she works to issue opinions expediently and writes them in a straightforward way so parties without legal training can understand the analysis and outcome.

Best advice she has received: "Ask questions and find out the why behind the answers," Cline wrote.

Voters can read Cline's opinions and watch archived oral arguments at kscourts.gov. The retention question appears on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot.