Updated

A Kansas appeals court attorney has been fired after using offensive language in a tweet about the state's former attorney general.

Sarah Peterson Herr was a research attorney for a Kansas Court of Appeals judge. She posted her comments about former Attorney General Phill Kline to Twitter last week while Kline was appearing before the state Supreme Court as part of an ethics investigation.

Herr commented on Kline's facial expression, saying "Why is Phil Klein (sic) smiling? There is nothing to smile about, douchebag."

Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss said Monday that Herr had been fired and her case was referred to other offices for possible ethical violations.

Herr has apologized and said she didn't realize her posts were readable by all Twitter readers.