FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 16, 2024
Claire Lancaster
claire.lancaster@state.mn.us
651-219-2975
Commission on Judicial Selection Recommends Tenth Judicial District Candidates to Governor Walz
[ST. PAUL, MN] – Today, the Commission on Judicial Selection announced that it is recommending three candidates for consideration to fill a vacancy in Minnesota’s Tenth Judicial District. The vacancy will occur upon the retirement of the Honorable Richard C. Ilkka. This seat will be chambered in Stillwater in Washington County.
Tricia Loehr: Tricia Loehr is an assistant county attorney in the Washington County Attorney’s Office, where she handles juvenile delinquency and child protection matters. She was previously an assistant county attorney in the Dakota County Attorney’s Office and a law clerk for the Honorable Edward Lynch in Minnesota’s First Judicial District. She is the chair of Washington County Attorney’s Office diversity, equity, and inclusion work group and leads the Washington County multidisciplinary team for sexually trafficked and exploited individuals.
Heather Pipenhagen: Heather Pipenhagen is an assistant county attorney in the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, where she handles criminal appeals and civil commitment matters. She was previously an assistant county attorney in the Washington County Attorney’s Office and a law clerk to the Honorable Herbert Lefler in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Her community involvement includes serving as a member of the Scandia City Council.
Viet-Hanh Winchell: Viet-Hanh Winchell is a solo practitioner at United Rivers Law Firm PLLC, where she represents clients in a broad range of criminal and civil matters. She also serves as court appointed counsel for parents in child protection cases and as a neutral in alternative dispute resolution matters. Winchell was previously a shareholder at Galowitz Olson, PLLC. Her community involvement includes volunteering with the Stonebridge Elementary Parent Teacher Association, providing pro bono legal services and serving on the advisory board of the Tubman Safety Project, and serving as a member on the Washington County Children’s Justice Initiative. Winchell also serves as a member and MSBA alternative representative for the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and she is the former president of the Washington County Bar Association.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.
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