FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 9, 2024
Contact: Claire Lancaster
claire.lancaster@state.mn.us
651-219-2975
Governor Walz Appoints Matti Adam and Seamus Duffy to Fill Ninth Judicial District Vacancies
[ST.
PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointments of Matti
Adam and Seamus Duffy as District Court Judges in Minnesota’s Ninth
Judicial District. Adam will be replacing the Honorable Darlene Rivera
Spalla and Duffy will be replacing the Honorable Shari R. Schluchter.
These seats will be chambered in Bemidji in Beltrami County and Mahnomen
in Mahnomen County.
“I am proud to appoint Matti Adam to the Ninth Judicial District,” said Governor Walz. “Her
years of service as a public servant and her dedication to the people
of northwestern Minnesota will make her an excellent addition to the
bench.”
“I am also honored to appoint Seamus Duffy,” said Governor Walz. “His
diverse experience dealing with criminal, family, and juvenile law, as
well as his dedication to public service, makes him well-suited for the
Mahnomen County bench.”
Minnesota’s
Ninth Judicial District encompasses Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater,
Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods,
Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau
Counties.
About Matti Adam:
Matti
Adam is the county attorney in the Itasca County Attorney’s Office,
where she is the county’s chief prosecutor and legal advisor. She was
previously an assistant county attorney in the Itasca County Attorney’s
Office and a law clerk for the Honorable Fred Karasov and the Honorable
Peter Cahill in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Adam’s community
involvement includes serving as the co-chair of the Minnesota County
Attorney’s Association Indian Law Committee and as a board member of the
Grand Rapids Area Library Foundation. She earned her B.A. from Bemidji
State University and her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.
About Seamus Duffy:
Seamus
Duffy is the county attorney in the Pennington County Attorney’s
Office. He was previously an assistant public defender in the Ninth
Judicial District and an attorney at Duffy Law Office. Duffy’s community
involvement includes serving as a member of the Pennington County DWI
Court and a lecturer at Northland Community and Technical College. His
community involvement also includes volunteering with the Thief River
Falls Amateur Hockey Association and the Thief River Falls Archery Club.
He earned his B.S. and J.D. from the University of North Dakota.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.
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