Richard Walker has been a District Judge in the 9th Judicial District of Kansas since 1985, and has served as Chief Judge since 2002. He is an Adviser on the ALI’s Model Penal Code: Sentencing project. He also serves as an adjunct instructor of political science at Bethel College, a part-time position he held since 2000.
Judge Walker was previously a partner at Adrian & Walker in Newton, Kansas. In 1977 and 1978, he was chief legislative assistant to U.S. Senator James Pearson in Washington, DC. In 1979, he was appointed to the Kansas Adult Authority, now called the Kansas Parole Board, where he served as vice chairman from 1979 to 1981. He was then a partner at Ice, Turner & Ice firm in Newton from 1982 until his appointment to the bench.
Judge Walker is a member of the Kansas Supreme Court Commission on Alternative Dispute Resolution.
EDUCATION: Bethel College, B.A.; University of Kansas School of Law, J.D.