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"                      <p class=\"imgtitle\">Kay McFarland</p>           TOPEKA, Kansas (Legal Newsline)--Eight people have applied for the Kansas state Supreme Court seat being vacated by longtime Chief Justice Kay McFarland.<br /><br />Among those who have applied for the vacancy are two Court of Appeals judges, the state's securities commissioner and a former state lawmaker.<br /><br />Friday was the deadline for applications to be submitted for seat being left open by McFarland, who is retiring in January.<br /><br />Vying for a seat on the high court are Court of Appeals Judges Tom Malone and Steve Leben; Securities Commissioner Chris Biggs; former state Rep. Ward Loyd, Douglas County District Judge Robert Fairchild, Overland Park Municipal Judge Karen Arnold-Burger and Attorneys Dan Biles and Dennis Depew.<br /><br />A judicial nominating commission will interview the candidates Nov. 17 and 18 and choose three finalists to submit to Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The appointee will be subject to a retention vote in the first general election after serving a year in office.<br /><br />When McFarland leaves the bench, Justice Robert Davis will become chief justice since he will be the most senior member of the court. <br /><br />McFarland was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 1977.  She became chief justice in 1995, upon the retirement of Justice Richard Holmes.<br /><br /><i>From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo at <a href=\"mailto:chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com\">chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.</a></i><br />"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://legalnewsline.com/stories/510520035-eight-apply-for-upcoming-kansas-sc-vacancy>