The Hon. Laura H. Lewis is a judge for the 16th Judicial District Court of Kansas. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jeff Colyer on January 2, 2019, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Van Hampton.
The 16th Judicial District encompasses Clark, Comanche, Ford, Gray, Kiowa, and Meade Counties. Lewis has held assignments in Ford County.
Prior to her appointment, Lewis was the County Attorney for Meade County, a position to which she was elected in 2008. She supplemented her service by working as an associate at Martindell Swearer Shaffer Ridenour (2012 to 2017), a sole practitioner in her own private practice (2017 to 2018), and a judge for the Dodge City Municipal Court (2017 to 2018).
Lewis earned an A.A. in social science from Dodge City Community College (1998) and a B.A. in English from Washburn University (2000). She then completed a J.D. at Washburn University School of Law in 2003. As a law student, she interned with the Washburn Law Clinic.
After graduating from law school, Lewis began her legal career as an associate in the Law Office of Leslie A. Hess in Dodge City. She worked in that capacity until 2005, at which time she opened her own private practice as a sole practitioner.
Her memberships have included the American Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, and the Kansas County and District Attorneys Association. She has also been involved with the Juvenile Justice Administration Board for the 16th Judicial District, the Kansas Board of the Crisis Center of Dodge City, as well as the Kansas Supreme Court’s Advisory Council on Dispute Resolution, Language Access Committee, and Self Represented Study Committee.
Lewis is a fourth-generation farmer and rancher in Meade County.