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Until Pitt State grad Daniel S. Creitz (BA Political Science ‘10) and his father, Daniel D. Creitz, came along.
The elder Creitz — Daniel D. — is the 31st Judicial District chief judge, and the younger Creitz – Daniel S. — is senior vice president and chief compliance officer for Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas based in Pittsburg.
Those sworn in before the U.S. Supreme Court can appear before the court, write briefs, and sit in on hearings. Daniel S. is eligible to participate in the court proceedings about healthcare topics, legislation, and issues that are at a national level right now.
Swear in day was a day to behold, they said. The entire Supreme Court was there surrounding those being sworn in. Their names were listed in succession.
“The Honorable Daniel D. Creitz of Iola, Kansas, Daniel S. Creitz of Pittsburg, Kansas, Jeffrey D. Jackson of Topeka, Kansas,” as read aloud before the clerk and the justices of the Supreme Court.
“Something I’ll remember is sitting in that courtroom, the nine justices coming up, and the judge is on my right, and the dean of law school is on the left,” Daniel said. “It was really neat, us being there together and reading our names back-to-back as we stood in front of everyone. It was a pretty surreal moment.”
Before becoming a judge, Judge Creitz had his own law practice in Erie, Kansas, and practiced for 17 years, holding criminal and civil trials. He represented school districts, cities, and small and large companies.
In the summer, his son would ride his bike down to the town’s drug store and grab two sodas — one for him and one for dad — then ride to the law office where he would listen to his father discuss the ways he was going to help people.
His interest in law began to solidify as the years went by, particularly after his father became a judge.
After graduating from Pitt State, Daniel S. earned a law degree from Washburn University like his dad.
Judge Creitz has been on the bench for 22 years, and his docket includes domestic cases, felony cases, protection cases, civil actions, and the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, which helps secure placement for children in the child welfare system because of alleged or confirmed abuse or neglect.
This type of public service was aspirational for his son, who found his own way of serving his community by becoming the very first attorney employed at CHC/SEK.
“Not many attorneys are in health centers,” Daniel S. said, “and even fewer are eligible to practice before the United States Supreme Court.”
He leads compliance efforts including risk management, legal, health information management, pharmacy, and the contacting and vetting of providers.
He is helping to establish a drug court in the 11th Judicial District with the help of a grant from the Kansas Fights Addiction Grant Program.
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