FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 11, 2023
Contact: Claire Lancaster
claire.lancaster@state.mn.us
651-219-2975
Governor Walz Appoints John Bowen and Jason Steffen to Fill Tenth Judicial District Vacancies
ST.
PAUL, MN – Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan
today announced the appointments of John Bowen and Jason Steffen as
district court judges in Minnesota’s Tenth Judicial District. The seats
will be chambered in Buffalo in Wright County and Pine City in Pine
County.
Bowen will be replacing the Honorable Bethany A. Fountain Lindberg for the seat chambered in Wright County.
“It is my pleasure to appoint John Bowen to the Wright County bench,” said Governor Walz.
“His impressive track record of public service and commitment to
treating all litigants with fairness and respect will make him a great
judge.”
“John
Bowen understands that judges play a critical role in promoting public
trust in the justice system, and I am certain that he will approach
every case with this in mind.” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “I applaud his appointment.”
Steffen will be replacing the Honorable Ellen L. Maas for the seat chambered in Pine County.
“It is my pleasure to appoint Jason Steffen to the Pine County bench,” said Governor Walz.
“Having spent a decade of his career as a public defender, he took his
impressive academic background and applied it to help those most in
need.”
“Jason
Steffen has demonstrated a profound sense of fairness and justice in
his work, recognizing that approaching his job with humility and
understanding is the best way to ensure a just outcome,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “He will be a great addition to the Tenth Judicial District.”
Minnesota’s
Tenth Judicial District encompasses Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec,
Pine, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright counties.
About John Bowen
John
Bowen is the assistant civil division chief in Wright County, where he
provides legal advice and representation to the Wright County Board of
Commissioners and all Wright County departments. In this role, he also
serves as counsel to the Wright County Opioid Settlement Advisory
Council and as a member of the Wright County Safe Harbor Task
Force. Bowen previously served as an assistant county attorney in Pine
County and as a law clerk to the Honorable Margaret Shaw Johnson. His
community involvement includes serving as a member of the Wright County
Children’s Justice Initiative, Wright County Safe Schools Committee, and
the Election Law Committee of the Minnesota County Attorney’s
Association. Bowen is also the coach of the Rockford Middle and High
School Speech Team. He earned his B.A from St. Olaf College and his J.D.
from William Mitchell College of Law.
About Jason Steffen
Jason
Steffen is an assistant county attorney in Chisago County, where he
prosecutes all types of criminal cases. He served as public defender for
nearly a decade in the Tenth Judicial District Public Defender’s Office
and the Mohave County Public Defender’s Office in Arizona. Steffen has
also served as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law
and has taught at Hamline University and the University of Minnesota –
Twin Cities. Steffen’s community involvement includes assisting with
criminal expungement cases for the Volunteer Lawyers Network and
volunteering with Feed My Starving Children and Happy Tails Rescue. He
also has volunteered as a judge for the William E. McGee National Civil
Rights Moot Court Competition and the Summit Cup 1L Motion Argument
Competition at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. He earned his B.A. from
Georgetown University, J.D. from Harvard Law School, and Ph.D. in
philosophy from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.
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