[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today announced the reappointment of Erin Sindberg Porter as chair of the Commission on Judicial Selection. She was initially appointed to this position in October 2020.

“I am honored to reappoint Erin Sindberg Porter as chair of the Commission on Judicial Selection,” said Governor Walz. “Erin’s hard work and dedication to uplifting exceptional candidates has enabled me to appoint excellent judges. I look forward to her continued leadership.”

“Our administration is committed to appointing judges who reflect Minnesota’s full diversity. Erin Sindberg Porter has delivered on that commitment and helped create a judiciary that better reflects the communities they serve,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “I look forward to working with Erin on this important work in our second term.”

“I am deeply honored to continue to serve as chair and grateful for the trust that Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan have placed in me through this reappointment,” said Erin Sindberg Porter. “It has been a privilege to serve on the commission, and I look forward to continue the progress we have made in recruiting excellent judicial candidates and making the recommendations to the Governor.”

“I am delighted to have Erin continue as the chair of Commission on Judicial Selection,” said Chief Judge Toddrick Barnette of the Fourth Judicial District. “Her professionalism and dedication to bringing forth judicial candidates to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor that represent a commitment to public service has assisted us in fulfilling our mission to the citizens of Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota.”

“Erin Sindberg Porter has been an exceptional leader of Minnesota’s Commission on Judicial Selection,” said Chief Judge Leonardo Castro of the Second Judicial District. “ Her thoughtful, collaborative, and inclusive approach has enhanced the opportunity to diversify our judiciary, and the integrity she brings to the process has strengthened the public trust and confidence of judicial selection in Minnesota.”

“Erin is passionate about and dedicated to seeking the best-qualified candidates for Minnesota's judiciary and ensuring transparency in the judicial selection process so that Minnesotans can trust that fairness and equity underlie the process,” said Kate Bruce and Julie Morrison of the Infinity Project. “Erin has also been an inspirational leader in expanding the judicial applicant pool in all of Minnesota's judicial districts to encourage the values of diversity and equity on the bench. A representative judiciary enhances justice for all of Minnesota and ensures the legitimacy of the judiciary.”

“The Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers applauds the reappointment of Erin Sindberg Porter as chair of the Commission on Judicial Selection,” said Judge Japaul Harris of the Second Judicial District and Co-Chair of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers Judicial Endorsement Committee. “ Erin has demonstrated true care and dedication to increasing the diversity of the Minnesota judiciary through the continued development of an equitable selection process. Her impressive legal background, outreach efforts to demystify the process, and willingness to seek and implement feedback has led to a judiciary that better reflects the people we serve.”

Erin Sindberg Porter is a partner at Jones Day in Minneapolis. She represents clients in complex business litigation and in civil and criminal investigations. Sindberg Porter has extensive experience in multidistrict litigation and coordinated actions, working on matters involving business torts, fraud, and contract disputes across industries, including health care, technology, agriculture, manufacturing, sports, and financial services and products. A dedicated volunteer, Sindberg Porter has worked with the Children's Law Center since 2011 to represent youth in foster care. She is a Chambers-ranked litigator and has been recognized in Best Lawyers in the field of White-Collar Criminal Defense and in Minnesota Super Lawyers in the category of Top Women Lawyers in Minnesota. She has been honored as a Minnesota Attorney of the Year twice for her pro bono work and for her service as chair of the commission. Sindberg Porter began her legal career as a law clerk for the Honorable Kevin Ross on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She earned her B.A. from Macalester College and J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

About the Commission on Judicial Selection

The Commission on Judicial Selection solicits, considers, and recommends candidates to the Governor for vacancies in the District Courts and the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals. The commission is tasked with identifying candidates with integrity, maturity, health if job related, judicial temperament, diligence, legal knowledge, ability and experience, and community service. The commission is comprised of nine at-large members, including the chair, and four district members from each of the ten Judicial Districts. The commission’s members are appointed by the Governor and Minnesota Supreme Court.

For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the

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