<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<br />
April 9, 2020<br />
Contact: Teddy Tschann<br />
<a href=”mailto:teddy.tschann@state.mn.us” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-auth=”NotApplicable”>teddy.tschann@state.mn.us</a><br />
651-402-8841&nbsp;</p>
<p style=”text-align: center;”>Commission on Judicial Selection Recommends First Judicial District Candidates to Governor Walz</p>
<p>[St. Paul, MN] &ndash; The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that it is recommending three candidates to Governor Tim Walz for consideration to fill the current vacancy in Minnesota&rsquo;s First Judicial District.&nbsp;The vacancy will occur upon the retirement of the Honorable Timothy J. Looby and will be chambered at Gaylord in Sibley County.</p>
<p><strong>Amber R. Donley:</strong>&nbsp; Ms. Donley is currently an attorney at Melchert Hubert Sjodin, PLLP. Her practice areas include family law, child protection, and general court-appointed work.&nbsp;Ms. Donley is an Early Neutral Evaluator and a Qualified Neutral/Mediator under Rule 114. Previously, Ms. Donley handled municipal and prosecution matters for various municipalities in Mcleod and Sibley counties. Ms. Donley&rsquo;s community involvements include serving as the current Chair of the McLeod/Sibley Early Case Management and Initial Case Management Conference (ICMC) Steering Committee, a volunteer attorney for Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), a member of the SMRLS fundraising committee, a member and Past President of the Eighth District Bar Association, a mock trial attorney coach, and an active member of the Waconia-West Carver Rotary Club.</p>
<p><strong>Ben King:</strong>&nbsp;Mr. King is currently a partner at Christian, Keogh, Moran &amp; King in Le Center, MN.&nbsp;He also serves as a part-time assistant Le Sueur County Attorney handling felony prosecution.&nbsp;Mr. King is an active member of the Le Sueur County Treatment Court, which he helped establish in 2015.&nbsp;Previously, Mr. King served as an investigator and chair of the<s>&nbsp;</s>Eighth District Bar Association Ethics Committee. He also served as a former member of the St. Wenceslaus Church Property and Finance Board. Mr. King was also a co-recipient of the First Judicial District&rsquo;s 2005 Pro Bono Award.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Dawn O&rsquo;Rourke:</strong>&nbsp;Ms. O&rsquo;Rourke currently serves as an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney. In this role, Ms. O&rsquo;Rourke primarily handles adult felony criminal prosecutions including sexual assault, robbery, homicide, domestic assault, violations of orders for protection, and weapons offenses.&nbsp;Ms. O&rsquo;Rourke has also served as an Assistant Carver County Attorney.&nbsp;Previously, Ms. O&rsquo;Rourke served as a Probation Officer for the Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation, a Case Management Assistant at the Hennepin County Domestic Abuse Service Center, and as a Fourth Judicial District law clerk for the Honorable Margaret Daly. She has also served on the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault Public Policy Committee, Access to Justice Subcommittee, and the Child Care Assistance Fraud Stakeholders Group.&nbsp;Ms. O&rsquo;Rourke&rsquo;s community involvement includes volunteering at her children&rsquo;s sporting activities and serving as a past executive board member for AFSCME Local 2789.</p>
<p>Minnesota&rsquo;s First Judicial District consists of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, LeSueur, McLeod, Scott, and Sibley Counties.</p>
<p>For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit our website:&nbsp;<a href=”https://mn.gov/governor/administration/judicialappointments/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-auth=”NotApplicable”>https://mn.gov/governor/administration/judicialappointments/</a>.</p>