Gov. Mark Dayton has filled three judicial posts in the state's Ninth Judicial District.
- Jana Austad will replace Judge John Smith, who has been appointed to the state Court of Appeals. Austad, who will be based in Walker, has been the managing attorney in the Brainerd Regional Office of the Minnesota Public Defender. She'd previously been in private practice. She received her B.A. from Augsburg College and her J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law.
- Anne Rasmusson replaces Judge Michael Kraker, who has retired. Rasmusson, who will be based in Mahnomen, has a family law and litigation practice. She received her B.A. from St. Catherine University, her J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law, and her M.A. from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
- Judge KoreyWahwassuck replaces Judge Hawkinson, who has retired. She'll be based in Grand Rapids. Wahwassuck is now an Associate Judge of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Court. She'd previously been a tribal attorney for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. She received her bachelor's of journalism from the University of Missouri and her J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law.
The Ninth Judicial District consists of Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau.