ST. PAUL, MN – Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointments of Todd M. Fellman, Michelle A. Hatcher, and Angela J. Willms as District Court Judges in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Mr. Fellman, Ms. Hatcher, and Referee Willms be filling a new judgeship and replacing the Honorable Pamela G. Alexander and the Honorable Nancy E. Brasel, and will be chambered at Minneapolis in Hennepin County.
“Mr. Todd Fellman, Ms. Michelle Hatcher, and Ms. Angela Willms have demonstrated exceptional commitments to public service,” said Governor Mark Dayton. “In particular, they have devoted their careers to helping children in our communities. They will be excellent judges for Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District.”
Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District consists of Hennepin County.
More information on the Commission on Judicial Selection, as well as vacancies it is currently considering, can be found here.
About Todd M. Fellman:
Mr. Fellman is a Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney in the Child Protection Division, where he supervises trial attorneys and provides counsel and legal representation to the Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health (Child Protection) Department. Additionally, he serves as an ongoing trainer for incoming attorneys, staff, social workers, and Juvenile Court Guardians ad Litem. Previously, he served as an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney in the Adult Felony Criminal Division and the Adult Felony Gang Unit. He earned his B.A. from the College of St. Thomas and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.
Mr. Fellman is a member of the Greenfield Criminal WATCH Group and a volunteer with Crossroads Animal Shelter, National Night Out, and Orono Public Schools.
About Michelle A. Hatcher:
Ms. Hatcher is a Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney in the Child Protection Division, where she supervises a trial/maltreatment appeals team and handles appellate cases. Additionally, she oversees the Hennepin County Be@School Program, which reduces the levels of truancy and educational neglect. Previously, she was a criminal prosecutor at the Office of the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney in the Civil Litigation Division, a litigation associate at Rider Bennet, L.L.P., an Assistant Scott County Attorney in the Juvenile Prosecution Division, and a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Mary Steenson-Dufrene. She earned her B.A. from the University of Windsor and her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.
Ms. Hatcher is the former Secretary of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers.
About Angela J. Willms:
Referee Willms is a Fourth Judicial District Referee in the Juvenile Division, where she currently presides over juvenile delinquency and juvenile protection hearings and trials. Additionally, she is an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. She was previously the staff attorney in Hennepin County Juvenile Court and a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Susan N. Burke. She earned her B.A. from the University of Minnesota and her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.
Referee Willms is a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiatives (JDAI), where she serves on the Executive Steering Committee and as the Co-Chair of the Eliminating Racial Disparities Committee. She also serves on the Fourth District Equal Justice Committee and the Race Equity Strategic Leadership Team.
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