FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 25, 2019
Contact: Teddy Tschann
teddy.tschann@state.mn.us
651-402-8841
Panel recommends Court of Appeals candidates
[ST. PAUL, MN] – Earlier this year, Governor Walz asked a panel consisting of leadership in the Governor’s Office, the Chair of the Commission on Judicial Selection, and the at-large members of that Commission, to solicit applicants, review candidates, and recommend finalists for appointment to the Court of Appeals.
The panel announced today that it is recommending five candidates for consideration to fill the current vacancies on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. These vacancies will occur upon the retirements later this year of the Honorable Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks and the Honorable Heidi S. Schellhas. Judge Halbrooks’ seat represents the Fifth Congressional District and Judge Schellhas serves in an at-large capacity.
Judge Jeffrey Bryan: Judge Bryan serves as a trial court judge in the Second Judicial District and as Co-Chair of the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. Previously, Judge Bryan was an Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted economic fraud and drug-trafficking conspiracies, and was a civil litigation attorney for Robins Kaplan, LLP. His community involvement includes serving on the Minnesota Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, the Minnesota Supreme Court Rules of Evidence Advisory Committee, and on the board of various community organizations, including the Minnesota Urban Debate League, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, and the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association.
Judge Jamie Cork: Judge Cork currently serves in the First Judicial District, where she presides over criminal, juvenile, and family law cases, conducts legal research and analysis, and drafts court orders. Previously, she was an assistant county attorney in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, representing the Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department through case consultation, legal writing and research, liaised with Native American communities regarding education, and worked on child protection cases regarding sexually exploited youth. She has also served as an adjunct professor for the University of St. Thomas and Hamline University Schools of Law. Her community involvement includes the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Japanese American Bar Association, First Judicial District Equal Justice Committee, and several other organizations.
Judge Theodora Gaïtas: Judge Gaïtas serves in the Fourth Judicial District, where she currently presides over felony cases as a member of the Property/Drug team and is co-chair of the Domestic Violence Steering Committee. Previously, Judge Gaïtas was an attorney with the Matonich Law Firm, where she represented plaintiffs in medical malpractice actions, including jury trials. She also served as an assistant state public defender in the Office of the Minnesota Appellate Public Defender, representing indigent criminal defendants on appeal to the Minnesota Court of Appeals and the Minnesota Supreme Court. Her community involvement includes serving as a member of the Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee for the Minnesota Rules of Evidence and as a board member of Twin Cities Theatre Camp.
Judge Gordon Moore: Judge Moore currently serves in the Fifth Judicial District, where he has handled a wide variety of matters in criminal, civil, juvenile, probate, and child protection areas. Previously, Judge Moore was a Nobles County Attorney, supervising seven employees and serving as chief prosecutor for the office. Judge Moore was also an associate attorney and assistant city attorney in Worthington for the law firm of Von Holtum, Malters & Shepherd and a special assistant/assistant attorney general in the Office of Attorney General Hubert Humphrey. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the First United Methodist Church and previously was on the Board of Directors and a youth hockey coach with the Worthington Hockey Association.
Susan Segal: Ms. Segal is currently the Minneapolis City Attorney. In her role, she is responsible for the legal work of the City, including all litigation involving the City and its boards and commissions, and managing an office of 110 employees. She is also responsible for managing criminal prosecutions of misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors committed by adults in the City, which involves over 15,000 cases per year and where she has focused on justice reform in this capacity. Previously, Ms. Segal established her own law firm, Susan Segal PLLC, focused on employment law. She was also a partner at Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett, P.A. and a Senior Attorney at the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Her community involvement includes her current service as the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and Board member of Minnesota Film and TV; she was previously the Chair of Board of the Mental Health Association of Minnesota along with other community work.