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 Seventh Judicial District. This vacancy was created upon the retirement of the Honorable Joseph A. Evans, and will be chambered at Detroit Lakes in Becker County.
Cherie Clark: Ms. Clark is an Assistant Cass County Attorney in North Dakota, where she handles cases primarily in criminal matters, as well as some civil cases. Previously, she was the Assistant Otter Tail County Attorney in Minnesota and was a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Peter Hoff in Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District. Ms. Clark is the Vice President of the Cass County Bar Association, serves on the Board of Directors for the Dorothy Day House, and previously served on the Board of Directors for the Moorhead Youth Soccer Association.
Kenneth Kohler: Mr. Kohler is a partner and shareholder at Vogel Law Firm, where he handles all areas of criminal defense. He is also an adjunct professor at Minnesota Community Technical College teaching criminal law and procedures. Previously, he was the Chief Prosecutor in the Clay County Attorney’s Office, the Nobles County Attorney, an Assistant Judge Advocate General in the Minnesota Army National Guard, and a partner at Mork, H.Darling, Hagemann & Kohler. Mr. Kohler is a member and past president of Kiwanis International Vikingland Chapter and a member of the Seventh District Bar Association.
Gretchen Thilmony: Ms. Thilmony is the Becker County Attorney, where she prosecutes felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor offenses. She is also a Special Assistant United States Attorney and previously was an assistant Becker County Attorney and an attorney at Sinclair, Evans, Hunt, Heisler, & Fritz, P.A. Ms. Thilmony serves on the Anishinabe Sexual Assault Response Team, the Public Safety Committee for the White Earth Nation and Becker, Clearwater, and Mahnomen Counties, and the Board of Trustees for the Becker County Law Library.
Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District consists of Becker, Benton, Clay, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, Todd, and Wadena Counties.
An announcement of the appointment will be made following an interview process over the next few weeks.
