In Minnesota, there are nearly 300 district court judges who preside over matters in ten judicial districts. While the Minnesota Rules of Court provide attorneys with significant information applicable to court proceedings, each judge may have his or her individual preferences with respect to motion practice and courtroom conduct.

In an effort to assist attorneys who may be appearing before a judge for the first time, the MSBA Civil Litigation Section Governing Council provided all district court judges with a brief survey. The responses that we received are organized on the right by judicial district and then alphabetically by judge’s name. We hope you find these responses to be helpful in your preparation for district court appearances.

For information about this project or to report an error in any judicial directory listing, contact Kara Haro, MSBA staff liaison to the Civil Litigation Section.

Tenth Judicial District Judges | Courtroom Preferences

McPherson, Catherine

District Court Judge

(no picture available)

Wright County

View state court bio

Contact with Chambers

• Preferred method to contact chambers: Email

• To whom may attorneys direct scheduling/logistical questions? 10thWrightCourtScheduling@courts.state.mn.us.

• To whom may attorneys direct substantive questions? Regan.Bovee-Gazette@courts.state.mn.us.

Motion Practice

• Set forth your practices and procedures for scheduling motion hearings. Contact court administration to obtain a hearing date.

• Do you accept telephone calls from attorneys to rule on discovery disputes that occur during depositions? No.

• How much time do you allot for motion hearings? 30 minutes unless otherwise requested.

• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to attending a hearing by telephone or video conference. Outdated—most motions by Zoom.

• Do you have any particular requests or procedures relating to requests to amend the scheduling order? Send a stipulation and proposed order. Trial and pre-trial dates must be coordinated with court administration.

• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to default proceedings. Follow the rules of procedure.

• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to handling emergency motions. 1) Make sure it is an emergency and 2) follow the rules of procedure.

• 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). Generally discouraged due to time constraints and calendaring issues as well as ease of remote hearings.

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. If new authority on point, send a letter, copying all parties. No other submissions without court permission after the record is closed.

• 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. See scheduling order.

• Identify what technology you use in the courtroom and state whether you prefer a particular electronic format. Contact court administration; evidence presentation system available in most courtrooms.

• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to attorney’s use of technology in the courtroom and during trial. Practice ahead of time and schedule orientation with court admin as needed.

In-Person Trials

• Are you willing to provide a date certain for trial? Yes.

• Set forth your practices and procedures for handling motions in limine. See scheduling order and pre-trial orders.

• What is your schedule for a typical trial day? 9-Noon with a break; 1:30 - 4:30 with a break.

• 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. See rules of general practice. No wandering about the well during questioning or voir dire.

• Do you impose time limits with respect to opening statements and closing arguments? It depends.

• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to marking and using exhibits. See pre-trial order. Must submit to court admin as directed (MNDES). One paper copy of each exhibit, preferably in a labeled binder on the day of trial. Clear delineations of all stipulations concerning exhibits. Arabic numerals only with no subparts.

• For exhibits uploaded to the Minnesota Digital Exhibit System (MNDES), set forth your preferences regarding naming conventions for files uploaded to the system. Ask court admin.

• Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to handling objections. No speaking objections.

• May attorneys obtain daily transcripts during trial? If so, what procedure should attorneys follow? Only if arrangements made in advance.

• Set forth any other preferences, practices, or procedures attorneys and parties may find helpful. Witnesses at trial must be in person generally. In limited circumstances, a remote witness may appear but only if all parties agree and the court approves. Trial time is at a premium. On the day of trial, parties should arrive early and be prepared to begin trial at the designated start time. Negotiations and stipulations should be addressed prior to the day of trial. If you schedule a motion, please indicate the type of motion and remember to cancel the motion if no longer needed. Please be respectful of court staff, judicial staff, bailiffs and other parties.