Five Candidates Under Consideration to Fill MN Ninth Judicial District Vacancies

Ninth Judicial District Candidates (top row from left to right: Matti Adam, Seamus Duffy, Tom Kuesel. Bottom row: Kathryn Lorsbach, Symon Schindler-Syme)

The Commission on Judicial Selection announced Monday that it is recommending five candidates for consideration to fill two vacancies in Minnesota’s Ninth Judicial District.

One of the vacancies occurred upon the retirement of the Honorable Shari R. Schluchter, and the other vacancy will occur upon the retirement of the Honorable Darlene Rivera Spalla. These seats will be chambered in Bemidji in Beltrami County and Mahnomen in Mahnomen County.

The candidates recommended by the commission are:

Matti Adam – currently 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

Seamus Duffy – currently 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.

Tom Kuesel – currently a solo practitioner at Tom Kuesel, P.A., where his practice focuses on criminal defense and personal injury matters. He was previously an assistant public defender in the Ninth Judicial District and a law clerk for several judges in the Eighth Judicial District in Willmar.

Kathryn Lorsbach – currently the county attorney in the Clearwater County Attorney’s Office, where she handles a broad range of criminal and civil matters. She was previously an assistant public defender in the Ninth Judicial District and a law clerk for the Honorable Jonathan Jasper in Minnesota’s Tenth Judicial District.

Symon Schindler-Syme – currently an assistant county attorney in the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office, where he handles criminal and appellate cases. He was previously an assistant public defender in the Ninth Judicial District.

Governor Walz is now tasked with selecting the two new judges for the Ninth Judicial District.