TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- A new Kansas Court of Appeals judge will be sworn in this week.

The ceremony for Judge Tony Powell is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka. Powell is giving up a position as a Sedgwick County district judge.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback appointed Powell last month to fill a vacancy on the Court of Appeals created by the October death of then-Chief Judge Richard Greene.

Powell has served as a district judge in Sedgwick County since 2003.

Before that, the Wichita resident served eight years in the Kansas House and was a leader among fellow anti-abortion Republicans.

He has handled a variety of cases as a trial judge. He's also been active in the district judges' association and involved in judicial study committees.