Earlier this year, Governor Walz asked a merit selection panel consisting of leadership in his administration, as well as the at-large members of the Commission on Judicial Selection, to solicit applicants, review candidates, and recommend finalists for appointment to the Court of Appeals.
The panel announced that it is recommending four candidates for consideration to fill the upcoming vacancies on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. These vacancies will occur upon the retirement of the Honorable Louise Dovre Bjorkman and the Honorable Randall J. Slieter. One vacancy is at-large, and the other seat is designated for Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District.
Anne Rasmusson: Anne Rasmusson is the assistant chief judge of the Ninth Judicial District and is chambered in Polk County. Through her work, she established and served on the White Earth/Mahnomen DWI and Drug Courts, and the DWI Courts for Polk, Red Lake, and Norman counties. Rasmusson was previously a partner at Rust, Stock, & Rasmusson, P.A. She is chair of the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the General Rules of Practice, chair of the Ninth Judicial District Case Flow Committee, and a member of the Children’s Justice Initiative Committee. Rasmusson’s community involvement includes chairing the RiverView Healthcare Association Board of Directors and the Polk County Developmental Achievement Center.
Stephanie Beckman: Stephanie Beckman is the chief judge of the Eighth Judicial District and is chambered in Meeker County. She previously was the Meeker County Attorney and an assistant county attorney in Stearns County. During her time on the bench, Beckman started a districtwide treatment court, assisted in starting a child protection specialty court, and initiated a districtwide housing court. She serves as a board member on the Board on Judicial Standards and the Minnesota Rules of Evidence Advisory Committee to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Beckman also serves as a member of the National Judicial Well-Being Collaborative and is a board member for the Litchfield Area Mentor Program and the Meeker County Law Library.
Lisa Beane: Lisa Beane is a senior associate general counsel in the University of Minnesota’s Office of the General Counsel. She previously was an associate in the Minneapolis office of Jones Day and at Robins Kaplan LLP. Beane also previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Wilhelmina M. Wright at the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and at the Minnesota Supreme Court. Her community involvement includes serving as a member of the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure and on the board of directors of the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association.
Liz Kramer: Liz Kramer is the solicitor general for the State of Minnesota, where she defends the constitutionality of state laws and represents Minnesota in state and federal appellate courts. She was previously a partner at Stinson LLP, where she practiced complex commercial litigation, and a law clerk to the Honorable Helen M. Meyer on the Minnesota Supreme Court. Kramer’s community involvement includes serving on the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee for the Rules on Civil Appellate Procedure and the boards of the Minnesota State Fair Foundation and Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society. Kramer’s community involvement has also included serving on the Appellate Practice Section Council of the Minnesota State Bar Association and helping found the Appeals Self-Help Clinic for self-represented parties in appeals.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.