[ST. PAUL, MN] – Earlier this year, Governor Tim Walz asked a merit selection panel consisting of leadership in the Governor’s Office, the Chair of the Commission on Judicial Selection, and the at-large members of that Commission, to solicit applicants, review candidates, and recommend finalists for appointment to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

The panel announced today that it is recommending four candidates for consideration to fill the current vacancy on the Supreme Court occurring upon the retirement of the Honorable David L. Lillehaug.

Judge Diane Bratvold: Judge Diane Bratvold has served on the Court of Appeals since her appointment by Governor Mark Dayton in March 2016 and subsequent election to a six-year term in 2018. Previously, Judge Bratvold served as a district court judge in the Fourth Judicial District, where she presided over pretrial hearings and trials in the criminal misdemeanor and civil divisions. Prior to joining the bench, Judge Bratvold was a trial lawyer and an appellate attorney. She was a shareholder with Briggs and Morgan, P.A., a partner at Rider Bennett, L.L.P, and an associate at Fetterly & Gordon, P.A. Judge Bratvold is a past president of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School and Macalester College. Judge Bratvold’s community involvement includes service as a director and volunteer with The Advocates for Human Rights, as chair of the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, and as an adjunct law professor and mentor to students at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Judge Jeffrey Bryan: Judge Jeffrey Bryan has served on the Court of Appeals since his appointment by Governor Walz in November 2019. Previously, Judge Bryan served as a district court judge in the Second Judicial District. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he was an Assistant United States Attorney, where he prosecuted economic fraud and drug-trafficking conspiracies, and was a civil litigation attorney for Robins Kaplan, LLP, where he developed a litigation practice emphasizing antitrust law and intellectual property disputes. At the start of his legal career, Judge Bryan clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Paul A. Magnuson. His community involvement includes serving on the Minnesota Task Force on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, co-chairing the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, and volunteering on the board of various community organizations, such as the Minnesota Urban Debate League, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, and the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association.

John Keller: John Keller serves as Chief Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, where he oversees the Office’s 130+ attorneys, deputies, and managers, helps set and carry out the legal and policy priorities of the Office, and strengthens partnerships across state government and the community. Previously, Mr. Keller was the Executive Director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), which he helped transform from a small, regional legal-services organization to a nationally recognized statewide provider of free, high-quality, and comprehensive legal, policy, and education services for low-income immigrants and refugees. Under Mr. Keller’s leadership, ILCM’s work was commended by state and national bar associations. He also served as a clerk at the Minnesota Court of Appeals and as an associate attorney at the League of Minnesota Cities. Over the last 25 years, Mr. Keller has worked with legal service agencies, non-profits, immigrant and refugee organizations, business and agriculture, labor and faith groups, and federal, state, and local governments on numerous legal and policy issues that intersect with due process, immigration, health care, civil society, public safety, criminal law, and public health.

Judge Gordon Moore: Judge Gordon Moore currently serves as a judge in the Fifth Judicial District chambered in Worthington in Nobles County, where he presides over a wide variety of criminal, civil, juvenile, probate, and child protection matters. Previously, Judge Moore served as the Nobles County Attorney, where he managed the office and was the county’s chief prosecutor. Prior to becoming the Nobles County Attorney, Judge Moore was an associate attorney and assistant city attorney at the Worthington law firm Malters, Shepherd & Von Holtum. He also was a special assistant and assistant attorney general under Attorney General Hubert Humphrey. Judge Moore’s community involvement has included service on the Worthington First United Methodist Church’s Board of Trustees, as a member of the Worthington Hockey Association’s Board of Directors, a youth hockey and soccer coach, founding director of the Worthington Futbol Club, and roles as chair with the boards of School District 518 and the Worthington Area YMCA.

For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit our website: https://mn.gov/governor/administration/judicialappointments/