Judge Evaluations
Jeffry Larson
District Court

District: 5
Counties: Lyon and Chase

The Kansas Commission on Judicial Performance recommends that Judge Jeffry J. Larson BE RETAINED.

Judge Larson was appointed as District Judge in the 5th Judicial District in January 2007. He handles a mixed docket of civil and criminal cases and also oversees various juvenile programs in his judicial district. Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Larson served as Assistant Crawford County Attorney from 1987 to 1988. He then spent 18 years in the private practice of law, including serving as Municipal Court Judge in Madison in 2006. Judge Larson is a graduate of Emporia State University and Washburn University School of Law. He has also attended a General Jurisdiction course at the National Judicial College.

Judge Larson's professional association activities include the Kansas and Lyon/Chase County Bar Associations as well as the Kansas District Judges Association and the American Judges Association. He serves on the Jones Foundation Board of Directors, the Jones Trust Board of Trustees, the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce, Grace United Methodist Church Board of Trustees and is a Rotary member. In addition, he has been a guest speaker for Emporia State University in criminal law classes as well as for various elementary and high school classes.

Judge Larson believes his greatest strengths are that he is well-prepared for each case and gives litigants sufficient time to present their points of view while continuing to move his docket efficiently. He states that he treats litigants with respect and takes time to communicate the basis for his rulings. Judge Larson notes that he often takes time to speak directly to the juveniles in his courtroom as he believes "it is an extremely effective way to keep the young person accountable." He recognizes that those waiting in the courtroom might wish he would minimize these conversations as the practice can be time-consuming. His professional goals are to continue to hone his skills as a trial judge by staying abreast of recent decisions and legislative changes in the law.

The Commission received survey responses from 23 attorneys and 142 non-attorneys. Survey results showed that 100% of attorneys recommended that Judge Larson be retained in office, with 96% strongly recommending retention. Of the non-attorneys, 92% recommended retention. Survey results also indicated that 22% of the attorneys surveyed perceived Judge Larson to be "somewhat" biased in favor of the defense in criminal cases; however, only 5% of non-attorneys perceived such a bias. Judge Larson received an overall average score from attorneys of 3.61 on a 4.0 scale and an overall average score from non-attorneys of 3.47. Judge Larson's scores exceed the required minimum average grade of 2.0 from each category of respondents. The Commission recommends that he BE RETAINED.

View the complete Judicial Performance Report for Jeffry Larson in PDF format.