Chief Judge
Kanabec County
View state court bio
INFORMATION COLLECTED APRIL 13, 2023
Contact with Chambers
• Preferred method to contact chambers: Email to law clerk
• To whom may attorneys direct scheduling/logistical questions? Law clerk or in court associate (court ops assoc.)
• To whom may attorneys direct substantive questions? Law clerk
• Set forth your practices and procedures for scheduling motion hearings. Contact court administration and request Judge Hiljus' In Court Associate.
• Identify any type of motion for which you do not require a hearing. Motion to continue immediately after receiving notice, administrative probate, administrative dissolution, consumer credit default.
• Do you accept telephone calls from attorneys to rule on discovery disputes that occur during depositions? In special circumstances upon request.
• How much time do you allot for motion hearings? In special circumstances upon request.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to attending a hearing by telephone or video conference. Video appearances for motion hearings encouraged, not telephones.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to discovery motions. Standard motion practice except 11th hour requests prior to trial where a decision could help resolve the case or simplify the trial.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to stipulations of the parties, including stipulations for protective orders. Should be filed with the court on or before date for submitting witness and exhibit lists, unless approved by the Court to be closer to trial.
• Do you have any particular requests or procedures relating to requests to amend the scheduling order? Nothing specific, should be in writing, usually by stipulation.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to default proceedings. Standard motion practice except for consumer credit.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to handling emergency motions. Contact law clerk to describe why emergency motion is necessary and be very specific in pleadings why facts constitute emergency. Embellishing the facts is frowned upon.
• If your preferences for motion hearings by remote means differ from any of your earlier answers, please describe your preferences for remote video conference hearings. Most motions should be handled remotely unless specific reasons justify an in person hearing. Evidentiary hearings should generally be in person.
• Do you want to receive paper courtesy copies of the parties' written submissions? If you do, set forth the number of courtesy copies and identify any document type you do not want to receive. No.
• Set forth your preferences for handling informal requests for relief using the expedited, informal non-dispositive motion process set forth in Minn. Gen. R. practice 115.04(d). Written correspondence filed with the Court is acceptable. A courtesy email to law clerk and/or in court associate is helpful if an expedited decision is needed.
Pre-Trial Procedures
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to the submissions of additional legal authority or other materials at or after oral arguments. Filed in MNCIS with a cover letter.
• Describe your preferred procedures for pretrial settlement conferences, including the timing of such conferences, persons who must attend, whether persons may attend by telephone or video conference, and how you participate in settlement discussions. If a settlement conference would be helpful generally a remote hearing. Anyone necessary to approve settlement should be in attendance. Maybe be set upon request for Zoom hearing. My participation in settlement discussion depends on the case and what the parties believe would be helpful. I do not generally insert myself into the case.
• Identify what technology you use in the courtroom and state whether you prefer a particular electronic format. Courtrooms are under renovation for all electronics. Will be completed summer 2023. parties will have full tech access to a large panel display and control panels at counsel table. Will be allowed to test drive the tech early upon request.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to attorney’s use of technology in the courtroom and during trial. Notify the Court in advance of what tech will be used and confirm equipment is compatible with court's new equipment.
• Do you permit parties to bifurcate oral argument so different attorneys address different legal issues? With prior notice and the court will ask the opposing party if there is any objection. Should not repeat the same arguments.
In-Person Trials
• Are you willing to provide a date certain for trial? Not typically, but may be special cases.
• Set forth your practices and procedures for handling motions in limine. Should be scheduled to be heard two weeks prior to trial in most circumstances.
• What is your schedule for a typical trial day? Start promptly at 9 a.m., morning break, one hour lunch break, afternoon break and recess between 4:30 and 5:00.
• Set forth your voir dire procedures. Pretty standard - read instructions, ask general questions, parties follow.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to courtroom decorum, including movement in the courtroom, use of a podium, whether attorneys should sit or stand, and how to address witnesses. Request use of podium granted freely. Stand for opening and closing but remain seated typically for questioning witnesses and arguing objections. This may change depending on the quality of the new sound system.
• Do you impose time limits with respect to opening statements and closing arguments? Not usually, but will ask how long estimated to be.
• Identify what technology you use in the courtroom and state whether you prefer a particular electronic format. I will take notes on my computer but do not take extensive notes. I prefer trial notebooks with exhibits for civil trials. May change when I become more comfortable with new electronics once installed.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to attorney’s use of technology in the courtroom. I encourage the use of electronics.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to marking and using exhibits. Exhibit books should highly organized and be pre-marked prior to trial. This will be a topic at the pretrial. If not pre-marked then ask to approach court reporter to mark an exhibit.
• For exhibits uploaded to the Minnesota Digital Exhibit System (MNDES), set forth your preferences regarding naming conventions for files uploaded to the system. Please contact In Court Associate for this information.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to handling objections. Talking objections are highly frowned upon. Objections should be stated succinctly and include the legal basis for the objection including a statement of the rule of evidence or legal ground. Opposing party will be offered an opportunity to respond if needed.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to the use of deposition testimony. Encouraged but should be highly organized and all objections ruled on and edits made well prior to the start of trial.
• May attorneys obtain daily transcripts during trial? If so, what procedure should attorneys follow? May make arrangements with my Court Reporter who is a real time reporter and is very fast. It is her decision if she can accommodate daily transcripts.
• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to attorney requests to contact jurors at the conclusion of trial. At the conclusion of trial it is up to the attorneys. I will typically talk to the jurors after the conclusion of trial and let them know it is up to them if they care to talk or not.
• Set forth any other preferences, practices, or procedures attorneys and parties may find helpful. Be civil. This is a profession and should be treated as such.