Five Minnesota Attorneys Are In The Running For Two Judgeships In The Seventh District

ST. PAUL (WJON News) -- Two more candidates have been added to the list of candidates vying for two open judgeships in Minnesota's Seventh Judicial District.

The Commission on Judicial Selection has recommended Luke Godzala and Laura Welle, along with the three other candidates. Godzala and Welle join Marc Hedman-Dennis, Timothy Hochsprung and Victoria Willis-Gutnik looking to fill seats in Stearns County and Mille Lacs County.

Godzala is a senior attorney in the Civil Division of the Stearns County Attorney's Office. He was previously an assistant city attorney in the St. Cloud Attorney's Office.

Welle is an assistant county attorney in the Morrison County Attorney's Office, where she mostly handles felony and child protection matters. She previously worked as an assistant county attorney in Crow Wing County and Becker County.

Hedman-Dennis is assistant general counsel for Sourcewell, the regional service cooperative for North Central Minnesota. Hochsprung is an assistant county attorney in the Douglas County Attorney's Office, and Willis-Gutnik is an assistant county attorney in the Stearns County Attorney's Office.

The seats will be chambered in St. Cloud and in Milaca.

Governor Tim Walz will appoint two of the five candidates to fill the seats left open with the retirements of Judge William Cashman and Judge Gail Kulick.