Governor Walz to Choose New Judges for St. Cloud and Milaca

ST. PAUL (WJON News) -- Three candidates have been forwarded to Governor Tim Walz to fill two judgeships in Minnesota's Seventh Judicial District.

The Commission on Judicial Selection has recommended candidates Marc Hedman-Dennis, Timothy Hochsprung, and Victoria Willis-Gutnik to fill the two vacancies.

Hedman-Dennis is assistant general counsel for Sourcewell, the regional service cooperative for North Central Minnesota. He previously served as an assistant county attorney in the Crow Wing County Attorney's Office, where he handled child protection, juvenile prosecution, and civil commitments.

Hochsprung is an assistant county attorney in the Douglas County Attorney's Office, where he handles felony, gross misdemeanor, juvenile prosecution, and child support matters. He previously served as an assistant public defender in the Seventh Judicial District.

Willis-Gutnik is an assistant county attorney with the Stearns County Attorney's Office. She prosecutes criminal offenses with a focus on intimate partner violence and human trafficking.

The vacancies will occur with the retirement of Judge William Cashman and Judge Gail Kulick. The seats will be chambered in St. Cloud in Stearns County and in Milaca in Mille Lacs County.