Local assistant Public Defender considered for Judicial vacancy

The Commission on Judicial Selection this week has put forward three candidates for a Ninth Judicial District vacancy. The candidate selected will succeed Judge Donna K. Dixon who is retiring. Her seat is chambered in Roseau.

Candidates include:

Max Schafer-LaCoursiere, a Ninth District assistant public defender in Thief River Falls. He’s also worked as an assistant Pennington County attorney and a judicial law clerk. Schafer-Lacoursiere is president of the Oxbow Foundation, a conservation nonprofit. He also volunteers with the Association of the French of the North and serves on the University of Minnesota Extension Committee in Red Lake County.

Roseau County attorney Michael Grover. He works primarily in adult criminal prosecution and with the county’s treatment and domestic violence courts.

Bemidji City Attorney Katie Nolting. She was previously the assistant city attorney and an assistant Beltrami County attorney. Nolting is president of the Beltrami County Bar Association.

The commission recommends candidates based on their experience and community involvement.

Governor Tim Walz will select who will fill the vacancy.