FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 9, 2024
Contact: Claire Lancaster
claire.lancaster@state.mn.us
651-219-2975
Governor Walz Appoints Allison Whalen to Fill Eighth Judicial District Vacancy
[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor
Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today announced the
appointment of Allison Whalen as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s
Eighth Judicial District. Whalen will replace the Honorable David L.
Mennis and will be chambered in Benson in Swift County.
“Allison Whalen will be an excellent addition to the Eighth Judicial District bench,” said Governor Walz.
“Her diverse practice background and measured approach to the law will
help her tackle the challenges she will face in this important
position.”
“I applaud the appointment of Allison Whalen,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “She is a highly-qualified public servant who has dedicated her career to improving her community.”
Minnesota’s
Eighth Judicial District encompasses Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant
Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift,
Traverse, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine Counties.
Allison
Whalen is an assistant county attorney in the Stevens County Attorney’s
Office, where she handles a caseload of criminal prosecution, juvenile
delinquency, child protection, civil commitment, guardianship and
conservatorship, child support, and appellate matters. She was
previously an assistant county attorney in the Swift County Attorney’s
Office and a law clerk to the Honorable Matthew E. Johnson on the
Minnesota Court of Appeals and the Honorable Michael R. Savre in
Minnesota’s First Judicial District. Whalen’s community involvement
includes serving on the board of the 16th District Bar Association and
as a member of the Stevens County Children’s Justice Initiative and the
Stevens County Violence Prevention Task Force. She received her B.A.
from the University of Minnesota and her J.D. from William Mitchell
College of Law.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.
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