The Hon. Blaine A. Carter (Ret.) was a district magistrate for the 2nd Judicial District Court of Kansas. He was appointed to the bench in April 1994. Carter retired on December 8, 2020.
The 2nd Judicial District includes Jackson, Jefferson, Pottawatomie, and Wabaunsee Counties.
On the bench, he heard traffic, criminal, probate, juvenile offender, child in need of care, and civil cases in Waubaunsee County and traffic, misdemeanor, and preliminary hearings of felony cases in Jackson County.
Prior to his appointment, he was a management analyst and charter member of the Sentencing Commission, where he was instrumental in helping to develop guidelines and procedures, as well as drafting the Kansas Sentencing Guidelines Act. In addition, Carter was a lead staff member of multiple task forces, tasked with researching criminal justice issues.
Over the course of his professional career, he also worked in law enforcement as a Wabaunsee County deputy sheriff and court services officer.
Carter earned a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and is a graduate of the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center.
A past president of the Kansas District Magistrate Judges Association, he was awarded its Lee Nusser Award in 2011. Carter also served on the Kansas Supreme Court’s Blue Ribbon Commission and the Kansas Tribal-State Judicial Forum and is the recipient of the Outstanding Court Services Officer of the Year Award in 1988.
He has presided as a municipal judge for eight cities in northeast Kansas and will continue as a judge for the cities of Wamego, Onaga, and Havensville, following his retirement.
Carter and his wife, Lynda, have two daughters.