Four recommended for 2nd District bench

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In Brief

• Commission on Judicial Selection recommended four finalists for two vacancies in Minnesota‘s 2nd Judicial District.
• Vacancies result from Judge Reynaldo A. Aligada Jr.’s elevation to the Minnesota Supreme Court and Judge Joy D. Bartscher’s retirement.
• The judicial seats will be chambered in St. Paul in Ramsey County.
• Finalists are Wesley Abrahamson, John Betzler, James Watchke-Koranne, and Devona Wells, each bringing experience in criminal, civil, family, juvenile, and public service law.

The Commission on Judicial Selection has announced that it is recommending four candidates for consideration to fill two vacancies in Minnesota’s 2nd Judicial District. One vacancy will occur upon the elevation of Judge Reynaldo A. Aligada Jr. to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The other vacancy will occur upon the retirement of Judge Joy D. Bartscher. These seats will be chambered in St. Paul in Ramsey County.

Wesley Abrahamson: Wesley Abrahamson is a senior attorney in the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, where he works in the Youth Justice & Wellness Division handling juvenile delinquency matters. He previously prosecuted violent felonies in Ramsey County and Scott County, and he served as an assistant public defender in the Tenth Judicial District. Abrahamson’s community involvement includes volunteering as a judge for the Minnesota State Bar Association Mock Trial Program, as a parent volunteer at his children’s school, and as a youth baseball coach.

John Betzler: John Betzler is a senior assistant county attorney in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, where he serves as a supervisor in the child protection division and as the primary legal trainer for social workers. He previously clerked for the Honorable Kathryn L. Quaintance in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Betzler’s community involvement includes serving as an officer on the CornerHouse Board, participating in the American Bar Association’s Community for Child Welfare Agency Counsel, and volunteering with the William E. McGee National Civil Rights Moot Court Competition. He also coaches youth softball and T-Ball in St. Paul.

James Watchke-Koranne: James Watchke-Koranne is a district court referee in Minnesota’s Sixth Judicial District, where he presides over a broad docket spanning housing, harassment, civil commitment, domestic violence, family, probate, and implied consent matters. He was previously a referee in the Tenth Judicial District and a human services judge at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Watchke-Koranne’s community involvement includes volunteering as a conciliation court referee in the Second Judicial District and serving on a panel of hearing officers for the St. Paul Public Housing Agency. He has also volunteered with the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, the Conflict Resolution Center, and the Volunteer Lawyers Network.

Devona Wells: Devona Wells is an assistant county attorney in the Civil Division of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, where she litigates complex civil cases and is general counsel to the county’s public health and housing stability departments. She was previously an attorney at Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP and a law clerk for the Honorable Natalie E. Hudson on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Wells’s community involvement includes serving on the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure, serving as a pro bono attorney for the Tubman Safety Project, and volunteering with the Ramsey County Judges’ Women’s Group and the Reader/Writer Program. She is also the former vice president of the Mississippi Market Co-op board of directors in St. Paul.

This article is a lightly edited news release from the governor’s office.