Posted: Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Judge Leslie Beiers elected assistant chief judge

The Honorable Michael Cuzzo has been elected to serve as chief judge of the Sixth Judicial District by his fellow judges in the District.  He will assume his duties on July 1, 2020, after current Chief Judge Sally L. Tarnowski completes her second two-year term as chief judge.
In addition to her leadership, Chief Judge Tarnowski was the first woman elected in this leadership role in the District, and was instrumental in supporting and expanding treatment courts in the District, developing a new Rule 20 screening process that increased the quality of competency reports, and creating new learning and collaboration opportunities for the bench.

Judge Cuzzo has been a judge in the Sixth District since 2010.  Before his election to the bench, Judge Cuzzo spent 27 years as a practicing attorney. He is chambered in Lake and Cook counties.
Judge Cuzzo's biography »
 
“I am honored to be selected by my colleagues to serve as chief judge of our District,” said Chief Judge-designate Cuzzo. “I have enjoyed working with the judges and Judicial Branch employees in each of the courthouses throughout our District, and look forward to continuing to support them in our continuing efforts to serve the public.”
 
The Honorable Leslie Beiers was elected to replace Judge Michael Cuzzo as the next assistant chief judge in the Sixth District.  Judge Beiers was first appointed to the bench in 2014.  Her chambers are located in St. Louis County, in Duluth.
Judge Beiers biography » 

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 the 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.