FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 28, 2022
Claire Lancaster
claire.lancaster@state.mn.us
651-219-2975
Commission on Judicial Selection Recommends Second Judicial District Candidates to Governor Walz
[ST. PAUL, MN] – The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that it is recommending four candidates for consideration to fill two vacancies in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District. The vacancies will occur upon the retirements of the Honorable George T. Stephenson and Honorable Teresa R. Warner. The seats will be chambered in St. Paul in Ramsey County.
Timothy Carey: Mr. Carey is an Assistant Ramsey County Attorney in the Civil Commitments Division in the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. He also worked in the Child Support and Criminal divisions of the office. He previously served as a sex offender evaluator and probation officer for Ramsey County Community Corrections. His community involvement includes serving as the Minnesota County Attorney’s Association Representative to the Legislative Community Competency Restoration Taskforce. He also serves on the boards of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, Freedom Writers, and Uptown House Foundation.
Jacob Kraus: Mr. Kraus is a Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, where he supervises a trial team in the Child Protection Division. He also worked in the Adult Prosecution Division of the office, where he prosecuted serious felony cases. Mr. Kraus previously worked in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office as a division manager of the Consumer Protection and Human Services divisions. His community involvement includes coaching youth baseball and hockey coach in St. Paul, volunteering in St. Paul public schools, attending the Basilica of St. Mary, and serving on his local AFSCME council.
Kimberly Middendorf: Judge Middendorf is an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) in the Office of Administrative Hearings, where she presides over a broad range of regulatory matters. She previously served as in-house counsel at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, where she managed the state’s agricultural chemical inspection and enforcement programs. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General representing state agencies in agricultural and natural resources cases. Her community involvement includes mentoring law students through Mitchell Hamline School of Law and Minnesota Women Lawyers. Judge Middendorf has also volunteered with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services.
Katherine Moerke: Ms. Moerke is an Assistant Attorney General at the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, where she investigates and brings enforcement matters related to nonprofit organizations, charitable solicitations, and charitable trusts. She previously was a partner at Stinson LLP, where she handled complex civil litigation in state and federal courts in Minnesota and throughout the United States. Earlier in her career, Ms. Moerke clerked for the Honorable James M. Rosenbaum in the United States District Court. She has served as mentor for junior attorneys and students and worked to increase diversity in the legal field, including judging moot courts and leading the women partners’ group at Stinson. Ms. Moerke has also served on the board of the Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota Action Fund.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.