The Hon. Darian P. Dernovish is a judge for the 3rd Judicial District Court of Kansas in Shawnee County. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jeff Colyer in 2018, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Joseph Johnson.
Prior to his appointment, Dernovish was deputy chief counsel for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, where he also served as interim secretary. Before that, he was legal counsel and the records custodian for the Kansas Highway Patrol. In addition to serving in that capacity, Dernovish spent time as a Special Assistant United States Attorney and a Special Assistant Attorney General in Kansas.
Over the course of his legal career, he also worked as an assistant district attorney with the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office and was in private practice in Overland Park at McDowell, Rice, Smith & Gear and the Law Offices of Thad Nugent.
Dernovish received a bachelor’s degree from Pittsburg State University. He then completed a J.D. at Washburn University School of Law.
He is a married father of two children.