ST. PAUL, MN - The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today it is recommending three candidates to Governor Mark Dayton for consideration to fill the current vacancy in Minnesota's Second Judicial District. This vacancy was created upon the retirement of the Honorable Kathleen R. Gearin. This district court judgeship will be chambered at Saint Paul in Ramsey County in the Second Judicial District.

Jennifer Frisch: Ms. Frisch currently is the Associate General Counsel for the University of Minnesota, handling civil litigation on behalf of the Regents of the University of Minnesota. Previously, she was an attorney at Kelly and Berens, P.A., where she practiced commercial litigation. Ms. Frisch is a member of the Federal Practice Committee and the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the General Rules of Practice for District Courts. She is also a member of the Diversity Committee for the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, serves as an instructor at the University of Minnesota Law School, and teaches English classes at Neighborhood House in Saint Paul.

Thomas Gilligan: Mr. Gilligan is a shareholder and trial lawyer with the law firm of Murnane Brandt, where he has practiced for 23 years in civil litigation, focusing on personal injury, toxic tort, and employment discrimination matters. Prior to Murnane Brandt, Mr. Gilligan was a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Ann D. Montgomery. He is a former adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School, and currently Mr. Gilligan volunteers as a guardian ad litem with the Ramsey County Guardian Ad Litem Program and as a volunteer attorney for the Tubman Safety Project.

Jessica McConaughey: Ms. McConaughey is a supervising attorney in the Criminal Division of the St. Paul City Attorney's Office, where she supervises the prosecution of gross misdemeanor, misdemeanor, and petty misdemeanor offenses. Ms. McConaughey also serves as the lead prosecutor for the Ramsey County DWI Court Program and is an adjunct professor at the William Mitchell College of Law. Ms. McConaughey is a board member for Project Remand, Inc., a member of the Minnesota Criminal Justice DWI Task Force, and a member of the Ramsey County Bar Association.

Minnesota's Second Judicial District consists of Ramsey County.

An announcement of the appointment will be made following an interview process over the next few weeks.