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Governor Dayton Appoints Jessica J.W. Maher and Jody L. Winters to Fill First Judicial District Vacancies

Posted: Friday, April 21, 2017

Governor Mark Dayton today announced the appointments of Jessica J.W. Maher and Jody L. Winters as District Court Judges in Minnesota’s First Judicial District. Ms. Maher and Ms. Winters will replace the Honorable Terrence E. Conkel and the Honorable Michael R. Savre, and will both be chambered at Glencoe in McLeod County.
 
“Ms. Jessica Maher and Ms. Jody Winters have demonstrated exceptional commitments to public service,” said Governor Dayton. “Their legal experiences in both the public and private sectors, and service to their communities, have prepared them for success in these important judicial roles. Minnesotans will be well-served by their sound judgment and legal expertise.”
 
About Jessica J.W. Maher
Ms. Maher is a shareholder at Berg, Debele, DeSmidt & Rabuse, P.A., and is also a clinical instructor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Previously, she was a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Gary Crippen, Minnesota Court of Appeals, and a law clerk in the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Minnesota. She earned her B.S. from Minnesota State University Mankato and her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.
 
Ms. Maher serves on the Minnesota Supreme Court Rules of Juvenile Protection Procedure Committee, is Vice Chair of the Hennepin County Bar Association Juvenile Section, is an American Academy of Adoption Attorneys Fellow, and is a founding member of the local chapter of a charitable group.
 
About Jody L. Winters
Ms. Winters is a shareholder and managing partner at Gavin, Winters, Donley & Ostlund, Ltd., where she represents individuals, businesses, and municipalities in civil and criminal litigation matters. Previously, she was an Assistant McLeod County Attorney and a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Robert Goggins, First Judicial District. She earned her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and her J.D. from Hamline University School of Law.
 
Ms. Winters is the Co-chair of the McLeod/Sibley County Early Case Management Committee, member of the McLeod County Corrections Advisory Board and McLeod Alliance for Victims against Domestic Violence Board, Chair of the ZAP Committee, and a mock trial attorney coach. 
 
Minnesota’s First Judicial District consists of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott, and Sibley Counties.
 
More information on the Commission on Judicial Selection, as well as vacancies it is currently considering, can be found at http://mn.gov/governor/appointments/judicial-appointments/.