Melissa Taylor Standridge (born July 12, 1962) is an associate justice of the
Kansas Supreme Court
The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as the st ...
. She is a former Judge of the
Kansas Court of Appeals
The Kansas Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court for the U.S. state of Kansas.
History
The Kansas Legislature created the first Kansas Court of Appeals in 1895, to help the Kansas Supreme Court with an increasingly heavy casel ...
.
Education
Standridge earned her
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
from the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
Upon graduating from law school, Standridge began a two-year position with the
United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
The United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri (in case citations, W.D. Mo.) is the federal judicial district encompassing 66 counties in the western half of the State of Missouri. The Court is based in the Charles Evans ...
working as chambers counsel for Judge Elmo Hunter. In 1995 she joined the firm
Shook, Hardy & Bacon
Shook, Hardy & Bacon (SHB), L.L.P. (previously Shook, Hardy, Ottman, Mitchell and Bacon) is a U.S. law firm based in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2012, ''The National Law Journal'' ranked the firm as the 87th largest in the United States. The firm h ...
. In 1999 she left Shook to work as chambers counsel to Magistrate Judge David Waxse.
Judicial career
Kansas Court of Appeals service
Standridge was appointed to the
Kansas Court of Appeals
The Kansas Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court for the U.S. state of Kansas.
History
The Kansas Legislature created the first Kansas Court of Appeals in 1895, to help the Kansas Supreme Court with an increasingly heavy casel ...
by Governor
Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius (; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebeli ...
in 2008.
Kansas Supreme Court
On November 30, 2020, Governor
Laura Kelly
Laura Jeanne Kelly (born January 24, 1950)"Laura Kelly," ''Kansapedia,'' announced Standridge as her appointment to the
Kansas Supreme Court
The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as the st ...
to the seat vacated by Justice Carol A. Beier who retired on September 18, 2020. She was sworn in on December 14, 2020.
Awards and associations
Standridge is involved with the
Kansas Bar Association
The Kansas Bar Association (KBA) is a voluntary, non-profit bar association for the state of Kansas with the headquarters located in The Robert L. Gernon Law Center at 12th and Harrison St. in Topeka. The KBA has approximately 6,500 members and ...
as a representative on the Board of Governors, and she is President of the Earl E. O'Connor American Inns of Court. In 2004 she received the Sandra Day O'Connor Award for Professional Service from the National American Inns of Court. In 2006 she was selected as Kansas City Legal Leader of the Year from The Daily Record, and in 2001 she earned the Outstanding Service Award from the Kansas Bar Association.
Personal life
Standridge is married to Judge Richard Standridge. They have six children between them.