Minnesota's Eighth Judicial District

District Map

Trial judges in Minnesota are called District Court Judges. They are elected by the voters of the judicial district in which they serve, not just the county where they have their courtroom. There are currently 11 judges serving the 13 counties that make up the Eighth District. Some counties do not have a full-time judge, others have one or two judges chambered in the county, while Kandiyohi County, with the largest population, has three judges. Judges can hear cases in all the counties of the District, but some judges have to travel to hold court in a county when there just isn’t enough court business to require a judge be there all the time.

The requirement that a judge of a particular district be able to travel to another county within the District to preside over a case is the primary reason why the voters of Stevens, Grant or even Wilkin County should be aware of, and concerned about, the judges serving in the rest of their district, even Kandiyohi County.

Kandiyohi County is a part of the Eighth Judicial District, which encompasses the west-central part of the state. It is located in the Southeastern corner of the district, which then extends northwest close to 150 miles to Wilkin County along the Red River.

If you live anywhere in the Eighth Judicial District, this coming November you will be asked to vote in all of the judicial elections for the District. Most will not be contested races. There is a contested election for a Kandiyohi County judicial seat and I am asking for your vote.