FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 17, 2023
Contact: Claire Lancaster
claire.lancaster@state.mn.us
651-219-2975
Commission on Judicial Selection Recommends Fourth Judicial District Candidates to Governor Walz
[ST.
PAUL, MN] – The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that
it is recommending six candidates for consideration to fill three
vacancies in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. These vacancies
occurred upon the resignation of the Honorable Toddrick S. Barnette, the
retirement of the Honorable Tanya M. Bransford, and the elevation of
the Honorable Keala C. Ede to the Court of Appeals. These seats will be
chambered in Minneapolis in Hennepin County.
Rachel Barrett:
Rachel Barrett is an associate attorney at Ciresi Conlin, where she
represents plaintiffs in medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, and
impact litigation in state and federal court. She was previously an
assistant public defender in the Fourth Judicial District Public
Defender’s Office in Hennepin County. Barrett also clerked for the
Honorable Margaret H. Chutich and the Honorable Diane B. Bratvold on the
Minnesota Court of Appeals. She currently serves as vice chair of the
board of directors and a volunteer attorney for the Children’s Law
Center.
LeeAnn Bell:
LeeAnn Bell is senior litigation counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office
for the District of Minnesota, where she prosecutes a variety of
felonies in the criminal division, including violent crime, national
security matters, drug trafficking, and civil rights violations. She
also serves as the district’s training officer, overseeing the office’s
training program. Bell was previously an associate attorney at
Halleland, Lewis, Nilan and Johnson, where she practiced complex
commercial litigation. Her community involvement includes serving as a
volunteer for the U.S. District Court’s Open Doors Program.
Dean Eyler:
Dean Eyler is a partner at Lathrop GPM, where he litigates complex
commercial and intellectual property disputes and serves as the firm’s
pro bono partner. He was previously a law clerk for the Honorable Donald
P. Lay on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and an associate attorney
at Dorsey & Whitney. Eyler’s community involvement includes serving
on the boards of the Advocates for Human Rights and Minnesota Urban
Debate League. He also volunteers with the Volunteer Lawyers Network and
provides pro bono representation to parties seeking asylum before the
asylum office and immigration court. Eyler helped create a fellows
program for high-school debaters and is a former Edina High School
debate coach.
Elizabeth Johnston: Elizabeth Johnston is a manager
and assistant attorney general at the Office of the Minnesota Attorney
General, where she leads a division representing the Minnesota
Department of Public Safety. She previously represented state agencies
including the Departments of Labor and Industry and Health. Johnston was
an assistant county attorney in Hennepin County in the child
protection, criminal appeals, and criminal trials divisions. She was
also a law clerk to the Honorable John R. Tunheim on the United States
District Court for the District of Minnesota. Her community involvement
includes volunteering with First Nations Kitchen and her children’s
schools and swim team.
Kristen Marttila:
Kristen Marttila is a partner at Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP, where
her practice focuses on litigating complex antitrust and other
consumer-oriented class actions. She is the chair of the firm’s pro bono
committee, and her own pro bono practice has included civil rights,
environmental, criminal appeals, and criminal expungement cases.
Marttila was previously a law clerk for the Honorable Patrick J. Schiltz
and Honorable Eric C. Tostrud on the U.S. District Court for the
District of Minnesota. She was also an attorney at Faegre & Benson
LLP, where she handled environmental and land use matters. Marttila’s
community involvement includes chairing the amicus committee of the
Committee to Support the Antitrust Laws. She also volunteers in
Minneapolis Public Schools as a classroom assistant and as a member of
the Welcoming Equity Committee of her local elementary school.
Dominick Mathews:
Dominick Mathews is a principal attorney at the Hennepin County
Attorney’s Office, where he supervises over 100 attorneys and support
staff in the felony prosecution of homicide, sexual assault, domestic
assault, child abuse, felony assault, and other serious felony level
crimes. He was previously a law clerk for the Honorable Toddrick S.
Barnette in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Mathews’s community
involvement includes serving on the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory
Committee on Rules of Criminal Procedure and volunteering as a mentor
for the ACT/SAT college preparatory program for Twin Cities youth.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.
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