Washington, D.C.– Congressman Erik Paulsen (MN-03) announced the formation of a judicial selection committee to review candidates and make recommendations to President-elect Trump to fill two vacancies on Minnesota’s federal district court.

The committee will be co-chaired by former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court Kathleen Blatz, and Bert McKasy, of counsel attorney at Lindquist & Vennum, former state representative, and former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Committee members include Russell Anderson, former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court; Terry Dempsey, former state representative and Fifth Judicial District judge; Gary Haugen, of counsel attorney at Maslon LLP and faculty member at Vanderbilt University; Rick Morgan, partner at Bowman and Brooke and former assistant U.S. attorney; Dan Rosen, a preeminent trial lawyer and board member of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee and Jewish Community Relationship Council of Minnesota; John Stanoch, former interim president of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, former chief deputy attorney general for the State of Minnesota and a former president of Qwest Communications and chief executive of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Upper Midwest.

“This committee is made up of some of Minnesota’s brightest legal minds, with an extremely diverse breadth of professional experience,”said Paulsen. “I have full confidence in their ability to identify the most-qualified individuals to apply the law in a fair manner, and to ensure equal treatment under the law to all Minnesotans. I look forward to reviewing the committee’s work and recommending candidates to the President-elect who will serve Minnesota faithfully.”

The new committee will meet in January to begin the process of accepting applications and reviewing candidates to be nominated to the President-elect to fill these vacancies.

Congressman Paulsen, a champion of small business and advocate of free enterprise, entrepreneurship, and innovation, serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, the bicameral Joint Economic Committee, and is co-chair of the Congressional Medical Technology Caucus.

For more information on Congressman Paulsen’s work in Congress visit paulsen.house.gov. 

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