Public Notice Detail
Minnesota Judges to be Honored for Work in Kosovo
Posted: Monday, May 3, 2004
ST. PAUL, MN (May 3, 2004) – Four Minnesota District Court judges will be honored by the state chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates this week for their outstanding work as international judges for the United Nations in Kosovo.
The Board of Trial Advocates voted unanimously to name Hennepin County District Court Judges Marilyn Justman Kaman and Daniel Mabley, Ramsey County District Court Judge Edward Wilson and Dakota County District Court Judge Robert Carolan as “judges of the year.” The awards will be presented at the Board’s annual dinner on May 7.
The judges, who became known by their peers in Kosovo as “the Minnesota Four,” spent six months to a year in Kosovo in late 2002 and 2003 as part of a United Nations effort to improve the court system in the war-torn province. The judges, who were the first Americans to work for the United Nations as international judges, heard cases that involved organized crime prosecutions, ethnically-motivated disputes, trafficking in drugs and human beings, kidnapping, terrorism and war crimes, and did so in an often dangerous environment.
To assume their temporary positions, the judges took leaves without pay from the Minnesota bench and were paid salaries and benefits by the United Nations.
Prior winners of the trial advocates award include State District Court Judges James Morrow of Anoka County, Lawrence Collins of Winona County and Richard Spicer of Dakota County. The Board of Trial Advocates is a national organization that speaks out for the Seventh Amendment and every citizen’s right to trial by jury. About 100 Minnesota attorneys belong to the organization’s Minnesota chapter.
About the Minnesota Judiciary
The Minnesota Judicial Branch is made up of 10 judicial districts with 274 district court judgeships, 16 Court of Appeals judges, and seven Supreme Court justices. The Supreme Court oversees the administration of justice in the state, and Kathleen A. Blatz serves as the Chief Justice. The Minnesota Judicial Branch is mandated by the State Constitution to resolve disputes promptly and without delay. It handles approximately 2 million case filings per year.