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Judge John Guthmann Elected Chief Judge of Second Judicial District

Posted: Friday, May 20, 2016

Judge Robert Awsumb Elected Assistant Chief Judge
 
The Honorable John H. Guthmann has been elected to serve as Chief Judge of Minnesota’s Second Judicial District in Ramsey County by his fellow judges in the district. Judge Guthmann will assume the responsibilities of chief judge on July 1, 2016, after current Chief Judge Teresa R. Warner completes her second two-year term in the role.
 
Judge Guthmann has been a judge in the Second Judicial District since 2008, and currently serves as Assistant Chief Judge of the District. Before his appointment to the bench, Judge Guthmann spent close to 30 years as an attorney at Hansen, Dordell, Bradt, Odlaug & Bradt, P.L.L.P., where he was a partner from 1990 to 2008. He is chambered in the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul.
 
“I am honored to serve with a fine group of jurists in the Second District, and I am humbled that my colleagues had enough confidence in my abilities to elect me to this post,” said Assistant Chief Judge Guthmann. “I will do my best to continue the work of Judge Warner, a truly great Chief Judge.”
 
The Honorable Robert A. Awsumb was elected to replace Judge Guthmann as the next Assistant Chief Judge of the Second Judicial District. Judge Awsumb was first appointed to the bench in 2005. His chambers are also located in the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul.
 
Detailed profile of Assistant Chief Judge Guthmann
Detailed profile of Judge Awsumb
 
By statute, the chief judge of a judicial district exercises general administrative authority over the courts within the district, including assigning judges to serve in locations throughout the district. The chief judge of each judicial district also serves as a member of the Minnesota Judicial Council, the administrative policy-making authority for the Minnesota Judicial Branch.
 
Chief judges and assistant chief judges are elected to two-year terms by judges within the district. No judge may serve as chief judge or assistant chief judge for more than two consecutive two-year terms. New two-year terms begin on July 1.
 
About Minnesota’s Second Judicial District
 
Minnesota’s Second Judicial District consists of Ramsey County. Twenty-nine judges serve the district. In 2015, more than 216,000 cases were filed in the Second Judicial District.