News Item

Judge Messerich to continue as Assistant Chief Judge

The Honorable Terrence E. Conkel will continue to serve as Chief Judge of Minnesota’s First Judicial District, after being re-elected for a second two-year term by his fellow judges on the First District bench. Chief Judge Conkel has been a judge in the First Judicial District since 1998, and has served as Chief Judge since 2013. He is chambered in the McLeod County Courthouse in Glencoe.

In addition, the Honorable Kathryn D. Messerich was re-elected as Assistant Chief Judge of the First Judicial District, and will also serve another two-year term in that position. Assistant Chief Judge Messerich was first appointed to the bench in 2004, and has served as Assistant Chief Judge since 2013. Judge Messerich’s chambers are located in the Dakota County Courthouse in Hastings.

A more detailed profile and a photo of Chief Judge Conkel can be found here and a profile and photo of Assistant Chief Judge Messerich 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 First Judicial District has 36 judges and more than 250 staff that handle approximately 120,000 cases annually in the counties of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott and Sibley.