Four recommended for 10th District bench

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In Brief:

• Commission on judicial selection recommends four candidates.
• Vacancies due to retirements of judges Bollman, Kaminsky, Meslow.
• Candidates are Kathryn Fodness, Nathan Sosinski, Stacy St. George, Karen Wolff.
• Seats chambered in Buffalo, Elk River, Center City.

The Commission on Judicial Selection has announced that it is recommending four candidates for consideration to fill the vacancies in Minnesota‘s 10th Judicial District. The vacancies will occur upon the retirement of Judge Suzanne Bollman, Judge Walter M. Kaminsky, and Judge Douglas B. Meslow. These seats will be chambered in Buffalo in Wright County, Elk River in Sherburne County, and Center City in Chisago County.

Kathryn Fodness: Kathryn Fodness is an assistant city attorney with the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, where her practice focuses on labor and employment law, including litigation and the creation and implementation of policies related to police reform. She previously served as general counsel for Minnesota Management and Budget, where she acted as the agency’s chief legal officer, the executive branch’s chief labor and employment law counsel, and the state ethics officer. Fodness also worked as an assistant attorney general at the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General and a judicial law clerk for Judge Regina M. Chu in Minnesota’s 4th Judicial District. Her community involvement includes serving as a volunteer mock mediator in skills courses at the University of Minnesota Law School and as a mentor for law students interested in public practice.

Nathan Sosinski: Nathan Sosinski is the managing attorney at the 10th Judicial District Public Defender‘s Office in Washington County, where he represents clients in felony criminal cases. He was previously the managing attorney at the public defender’s office in Pine, Isanti, Chisago, and Kanabec counties and an assistant county attorney in Pine County. Sosinski’s community involvement includes serving as an instructor at the Minnesota Public Defender’s Office Trial School and as a member of the Washington County Community Corrections Advisory Board. He previously served as a member of the Criminal Sexual Conduct Statutory Reform Working Group, a board member for the Centennial Lakes Little League, a coach for middle school girls’ basketball and softball teams, and a judge for collegiate and high school mock trial.

Stacy St. George: Stacy St. George is an assistant chief of the Criminal Division at the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, where she has worked extensively in criminal prosecution with a focus on violent crimes. Through her role, she assisted in the development of the first Rule 20.01 Competency Court in the 1st Judicial District, which prioritizes treatment and support for individuals living with mental illness in the criminal justice system. St. George previously served as the assistant head of the Criminal Division in the Anoka County Attorney’s Office and as an assistant county attorney in Isanti County. Her community involvement includes serving on the policy committee of the Minnesota Children’s Alliance and as a board member for the Forest Lake Athletic Association.

Karen Wolff: Karen Wolff is the assistant civil chief in the Wright County Attorney’s Office, where she handles child support cases, guardianships, and other civil matters, and is a team member for the Wright County drug treatment court. She previously served in the criminal division of the Wright County Attorney’s Office and as a judicial law clerk for Judge Dale E. Mossey in Minnesota’s 10th Judicial District. Wolff is a board member of the Minnesota Family Support and Recovery Council. She also volunteers with the Cardinal Athletic Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, and as an attorney coach for the Buffalo High School Mock Trial team.