Public Notice Detail

ST. PAUL, MN (July 30, 2001) – Today the Conference of Chief Judges (CCJ) announced that Ramsey County District Court Judge J. Thomas Mott has been elected to lead the organization for the next two years.  Judge Mott will serve as chair of the CCJ and St. Louis County District Court Judge Gary J. Pagliaccetti will serve as vice-chair. 

The CCJ is the administrative and policy-making body of Minnesota’s trial courts, made up of an elected Chief Judge and Assistant Chief Judge from each of the state’s ten judicial districts.

“Our docket is pretty full, literally and figuratively,” said Judge Mott.  “In addition to moving an increasing amount of cases through the system each year, the courts are in a state of massive transformation as we move from county to state funding.  Our goal will be to ensure a smooth transition, but maintain our flexibility, effectiveness and commitment to serving the public. I am confident we can work together to achieve that.”

“Judges want to make sure that Minnesotans have adequate access to justice and that the system is actively working to be more effective,” added Judge Pagliaccetti. “I really look forward to working with Judge Mott and the entire CCJ on these issues.”

Judge Mott grew up in Albert Lea, MN and graduated with an A.A. from Austin State Junior College.  He received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and obtained a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.  He practiced law in St. Paul and served as Assistant Ramsey County Public Defender until his appointment to the district court bench in 1988.

Judge Mott is currently the Assistant Chief Judge of the Second Judicial District (Ramsey County).  Mott received the Minnesota District Judges’ Association’s “Outstanding Service” award last year for his work on consolidating and expediting all of the state’s asbestos-related cases.  In addition to covering his regular caseload in Ramsey County, Judge Mott hears all of the states’ asbestos litigation.  He schedules three “blocks” of asbestos cases per year, hearing 25-45 cases per block.  The consolidation increases the efficiency of case processing and improves the opportunities for settlements.  Timing is especially important given the complexity of these trials and the deadly nature of certain asbestos-related illnesses.

Judge Mott currently chairs the state’s Race Data Collection Work Group, which has been responsible for implementing a statewide system to collect race information on all criminal, traffic and juvenile cases.  The system was successfully launched early in 2001.

Judge Mott succeeds Judge Leslie M. Metzen as Chair of the CCJ.  He begins his two-year term immediately.

Judge Pagliaccetti grew up in Mountain Iron, MN.  He received a B.A. in History from St. John’s University and achieved a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law.  He served as an Assistant Public Defender for the Sixth Judicial District; a staff attorney for the Juvenile, Welfare and Criminal Divisions of the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office; and worked in private practice prior to his appointment to the district court bench in 1989. 

Judge Pagliaccetti is currently the Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial District in Northern Minnesota, which includes the counties of Carlton, Cook, Lake and St. Louis.  He has served on the Supreme Court’s Gender Fairness Implementation Committee and taught courses at Mesabi Community College.

Judge Pagliaccetti’s two-year term as Vice-Chair of the CCJ is effective immediately.