The Hon. Grant D. Bannister is a judge for the 21st Judicial District Court of Kansas. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Sam Brownback on September 12, 2016, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. David L. Stutzman.
The 21st Judicial District includes Clay and Riley Counties. Bannister was named Chief Judge of the 21st Judicial District in 2019.
Prior to his appointment, he was a partner at Knopp & Bannister, P.A. in Manhattan, where he specialized in civil, domestic, and criminal defense cases. Bannister also taught business ethics as an adjunct faculty member at Kansas State University.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University. Bannister then completed a J.D. at the University of Kansas School of Law in 1997.
He is a past president of the Riley County Bar Association and a member of the Kansas Bar Association. Bannister also sat by appointment on the Kansas Supreme Court and was appointed by the state’s Supreme Court as a member of the Statewide Records Committee, of which he was chairperson.
From a civic standpoint, he was a member of the Executive Board of Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts Konza District, the Boy Scouts Coronado Council, the Hospice Foundation, and the Solar Kiwanis.
A native of Hays, Kansas, Bannister enjoys coaching youth teams and competing in marathons, half marathons, and road races.