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Kansas District Judge Keven O’Grady receives national leadership award
Williamsburg, Va., (July 29, 2022) – Kansas Judge Keven O’Grady, of the 10th Judicial District in Johnson County, received the Mary McQueen Leadership Award earlier this week during the annual meeting of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and Conference of State Court Administrators in Chicago (COSCA).
Named in honor of Mary McQueen, the president of the National Center for State Courts since 2004, the award recognizes an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to improving the administration of justice at the local, state and/or national level for a sustained period of time. The award is given jointly by CCJ, COSCA, the National Association for Presiding Judges and Court Executive Officers, and the National Association for Court Management.
In their nomination letter, Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert and Kansas State Judicial Administrator Stephanie Bunten highlight several of Judge O’Grady’s accomplishments that have improved access to the courts and advanced procedural fairness for all litigants.
“Prompted by the startling number of unprepared pro se litigants appearing on his family court docket, Judge O’Grady worked with a team of judges, clerks, and community stakeholders to establish the Johnson County Help Center. This project grew exponentially by providing guidance, assurance, and options for tens of thousands of court patrons who were navigating the legal system on their own,” they wrote.
Judge O’Grady was appointed as judge in 2012 following more than two decades in private practice in Overland Park. In addition to his local contributions to the court and legal communities, Judge O’Grady chairs the Kansas Supreme Court Advisory Council on Dispute Resolution and served on the Kansas Supreme Court Access to Justice Committee.