Senators should be helpful in filling Kansas seat on 10th Circuit

President Obama’s re-election means he has the responsibility to fill four seats on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, including a Kansas seat that’s been open since Deanell Reece Tacha resigned from the court nearly two years ago. This time Kansas Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts need to be partners with the White House in making the right pick. Kansas doesn’t need a repeat of 2011, when the senators inexplicably blocked former Kansas Attorney General Steve Six from even having a confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I think if the White House consults the senators they can find a consensus nominee,” said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor. Correction: Six’s nomination was blocked after his confirmation hearing but before the Senate Judiciary Committee could hold a vote.