FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 14, 2022
Claire Lancaster
claire.lancaster@state.mn.us
651-219-2975
Commission on Judicial Selection Recommends Eighth Judicial District Candidates to Governor Walz
[ST. PAUL, MN] – The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that it is recommending three candidates for consideration to fill a vacancy in Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District. The vacancy occurred upon the retirement of the Honorable Charles C. Glasrud. The seat will be chambered in Morris in Stevens County.
Jason Butts: Jason Butts is the Breckenridge city attorney, where he has served since December 2021. Butts previously worked in private practice at Smith & Strege, Ltd., where he practiced criminal defense, general litigation, and real estate. He also worked as a contracted public defender for the City of Wahpeton, and he has previously served on the Richland County Treatment Court. Butts serves on the board of the State Bar Association of North Dakota’s Lawyer Assistance Program, and he previously served on the association’s Board of Governors and Title Standards Committee. Butts is a former councilman for the City of Breckenridge.
Benjamin Pieh: Benjamin Pieh is an assistant public defender for the State of Minnesota, serving indigent clients across the Eighth Judicial District. He previously served as a law clerk for Judges Paul Nelson, Dwayne Knutsen, and Thomas Van Hon in the Eighth Judicial District. Pieh chairs the 12th District Ethics Committee and serves as a board member for the Prairie Arts Chorale.
Benjamin Wilcox: Benjamin Wilcox is a partner at Wilcox Law Office, P.A. He serves as the city attorney for Benson and Kerkhoven and as an assistant city attorney in Clontarf, Danvers, DeGraff, Holloway, and Murdock. He represents clients in a wide variety of civil matters, including real estate, estate planning, probate, civil litigation, small business organization, and landlord-tenant matters. Wilcox serves as a board member for the Robert Sonsteng Foundation and the Southwest Initiative Foundation.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.
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