News Item
Diane B. Bratvold, Hilary Lindell Caligiuri, William J. Fisher, and Juan G. Hoyos Appointed to Fill Fourth Judicial District Vacancies

Posted: Friday, August 1, 2014

Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Ms. Diane B. Bratvold, Ms. Hilary Lindell Caligiuri, Mr. William J. Fisher, and Mr. Juan G. Hoyos as District Court Judges in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District.  The appointees will be filling the vacancies created upon the appointment of the Honorable Denise D. Reilly to the Minnesota Court of Appeals and the retirements of the Honorable Ann L. Alton, the Honorable Mary S. DuFresne, and the Honorable Mark S. Wernick. These district court judgeships will be chambered at Minneapolis in Hennepin County in the Fourth Judicial District.

“Ms. Bratvold, Ms. Caligiuri, Mr. Fisher, and Mr. Hoyos represent some of the best and brightest in the legal field,” said Governor Dayton. “Their diverse experiences, and shared commitment to service, are a testament to their character and abilities. I am confident they will provide outstanding service to the people of the Fourth Judicial District.”

Diane B. Bratvold: Ms. Bratvold is a shareholder with Briggs and Morgan, P.A., where her practice focuses on civil appeals and advice to clients and trial counsel. Ms. Bratvold is also a volunteer attorney at Advocates for Human Rights and an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School. Previously, she was a partner with Rider Bennett, L.L.P. and an attorney with Fetterly & Gordon, P.A. Ms. Bratvold earned her B.A. from Macalester College and her J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law.

Ms. Bratvold is a mentor at the University of St. Thomas Law School and Zion Lutheran Church, where she also serves on the Zion Foundation Board and the South Sudan Committee. 

Hilary Lindell Caligiuri: Ms. Caligiuri serves as a Senior Assistant Hennepin County Attorney, where she supervises the drug unit and maintains a caseload of felony controlled substance crimes. Previously, she served in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office as an Assistant Attorney General, managing the office’s criminal division, and as the Deputy Attorney General, overseeing the civil litigation, torts and employment law, and tax litigation divisions. Ms. Caligiuri earned her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law.

Ms. Caligiuri is a member of the Minnesota Violent Crime Coordinating Council, and has served on the Board of Trustees for Sunny Hollow Montessori.

William J. Fisher: Mr. Fisher is a shareholder at Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett, P.A., where his practice consists of commercial bankruptcy cases and commercial collection cases in state and federal court. Mr. Fisher has been an adjunct professor at the William Mitchell College of Law and a community faculty member at Metropolitan State University. Mr. Fisher earned his B.A. from Tufts University and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Mr. Fisher is a board member for the Society for Legal Aid, a member of the Pro Bono Committee of the Bankruptcy Section of the Minnesota Bar Association, and has represented numerous pro bono clients, working with the Volunteer Lawyers Network, among other organizations.

Juan G. Hoyos: Mr. Hoyos is an Assistant County Attorney at the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, where he prosecutes felonies with an emphasis on crimes against persons. Previously, he was a public defender, serving in the State Public Defender’s Office and in Minnesota’s First and Second Judicial Districts. Mr. Hoyos earned his B.A from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and his J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law.

Mr. Hoyos currently co-chairs the Minnesota State Bar Assocation’s Public Law Section, is a member of the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, and is the past president of the Warren Burger Inn of Court, the Ramsey County Bar Association, and the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association.   

Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District consists of Hennepin County.