[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today announced the appointment of Kristine Weeks as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Fifth Judicial District. Weeks will be replacing the Honorable Kurt D. Johnson and will be chambered in Mankato in Blue Earth County.

“I am proud to appoint Ms. Weeks to the Fifth Judicial District,” said Governor Walz. “For over a decade, she has been a leader and advocate for Minnesotans as a public defender. Her dedication to fairness and justice will serve her well on the bench.”

“Ms. Weeks will be a great addition to the Blue Earth County bench,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “She is a remarkable public servant, and I am confident that she will treat everyone who walks into her courtroom with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

The Fifth Judicial District consists of 15 counties in southwest Minnesota: Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, and Watonwan.

About Kristine Weeks:

Kristine Weeks is an assistant public defender in the Fifth Judicial District, where she represents indigent clients in misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, felony, and probation violation proceedings. She also represents clients in child protection and delinquency matters. Weeks previously was an assistant public defender in the Second Judicial District, a law clerk to the Honorable Diane R. Alshouse in the Second Judicial District, and an adjunct professor in Hamline University’s Legal Studies department. For the past ten years, she has served as a union steward for Teamsters Local 320. Weeks is a board member of the Blue Earth County Law Library and a member of the Minnesota Women Lawyers’ South Central chapter. Her community involvement has also included volunteering as a mock trial judge with the Minnesota State High School League, a conflict screener for Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, and an adoption assistant at the Animal Humane Society. Weeks received her B.A. from Hamline University and J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage .