FRANKFORT – Three local attorneys have been named to a short list of nominees to fill the seat being vacated by retiring Circuit Judge Danny P. Caudill.

Caudill submited his resignation on Jan. 30 to join the senior judges program and attended a reception given in his honor last week.

Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court John Minton, who attended Caudill’s reception, named the three nominees — Anthony Craig Davis, Cynthia Elaine Elliott and current Floyd County Family Court Judge Johnny Ray Harris.

Davis, a Dana resident, is an attorney with The Pembroke Corporation in Betsy Layne. He earned his law degree at Chase Law, graduating in 1993.

Elliott currently lives and works in Prestonsburg, where she is an attorney with the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky and SOCKS Inc.

Harris, a resident of Prestonsburg, is currently Floyd County’s Family Court Judge.

When a judicial vacancy occurs, the executive secretary of the Judicial Nominating Committee publishes a notice of vacancy in the district. Attorneys can then either recommend someone or nominate themselves, and the names of the applicants are not released.

Once a long list is made up, the individuals interested in the position return a questionnaire to the Office of the Chief Justice. In this case, Minton then met with the committee and narrowed the list to three the candidates.

The three names are then handed over the governor, who has 60 days to appoint a replacement and make an official announcement. Because it is simply state law that the governor be given three names, it can be the case in some instances where a person’s name is included in the three, even if the attorney did not apply.

After one of the three is tapped to fill the empty seat, if they want to continue serving in the position they will be required to run for election to do so. Though the next regularly scheduled election for circuit judges is in 2014, appointees to circuit judgeships must run for election in 2010 and 2014 and, after election, serve eight-year terms.