News Item

Judge Dietrich to continue as Assistant Chief Judge

The Honorable Bradley C. Walker will continue to serve as Chief Judge of Minnesota’s Fifth Judicial District, after being re-elected for a second two-year term by his fellow judges on the Fifth District bench. Chief Judge Walker has been a judge in the Fifth Judicial District since 1998, and has served as Chief Judge since 2013. He is chambered in the Blue Earth County Courthouse in Mankato.

In addition, the Honorable Michelle A. Dietrich was re-elected as Assistant Chief Judge of the Fifth Judicial District, and will also serve another two-year term in that position. Assistant Chief Judge Dietrich was first appointed to the bench in 2008, and has served as Assistant Chief Judge since 2013. Judge Dietrich’s chambers are located in the Lyon County Courthouse in Marshall.

A more detailed profile of Chief Judge Walker can be found here and a profile of Assistant Chief Judge Dietrich can be found here.

By statute, the chief judge of a judicial district exercises general administrative authority over the courts within the judicial district, including assigning judges to serve in locations throughout the district. Chief judges and assistant chief judges are elected to two-year terms by judges within the district. New terms begin on July 1.

The Fifth Judicial District serves these 15 counties in southwest Minnesota: Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, and Watonwan.