Kansas Chief Justice Eric S. Rosen will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot for a retention vote on Supreme Court Position 4.
Kansas Supreme Court justices do not run against opponents. Instead, voters decide whether to retain the justice for another term. A "yes" vote keeps Rosen on the bench; a "no" vote removes him. The position is nonpartisan, and 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
- Office sought: Kansas Supreme Court Justice, Position 4 (retention)
- Party: Nonpartisan
- Residence: Topeka
- Family: Married to Elizabeth "Libby" Rosen; four children and ten grandchildren
- Education: Bachelor's degree in social work, University of Kansas (1975); master's degree, University of Kansas (1975); juris doctor, 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. He attended law school part-time while raising a family, according to the Lawrence KS Times.
His legal career began 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.
Rosen moved into private practice as an associate at Porter, Fairchild, Wachter, and Haney in Topeka from 1988 to 1990. He became a partner at Hein, Ebert, and Rosen in Topeka from 1990 to 1993, according to BallotReady. He also served as an assistant public defender in Shawnee County, according to the Kansas Courts news release.
He was elected a district judge in the 3rd Judicial District in Shawnee County in 1993 and served until 2005, according to his court biography. During that time he served as chief judge of the domestic division. He was the first Jewish person appointed a district court judge in Kansas, according to the Lawrence KS Times.
Rosen joined the Kansas Supreme Court in 2005 and became the first Jewish justice in the court's history, the Lawrence KS Times reported. He later became Kansas' first Jewish chief justice.
His additional roles, according to his court biography and BallotReady, include:
- Chair of the Kansas Judicial Council
- Member of the American Judges Association
- Member of the Dwight D. Opperman Institute of Judicial Administration at New York University School of Law
- Adjunct professor at Washburn University
- Lecturer at the Menninger School of Law and Psychiatry from 1993 to 2003
- Instructor at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center from 2008 to 2010
The Olathe Daily Digest sent this candidate a questionnaire. No issue responses were received. This profile is based on publicly available information from Kansas Courts, BallotReady and the Lawrence KS Times.
