Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Ronald J. Schutz as Chair, and the appointment of John J. McDonald to the Commission on Judicial Selection.

Schutz, of Medina, is an attorney, partner, and chair of the Intellectual Property litigation group with the Minneapolis law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi. He is also a member of the firm’s executive board. Schutz earned his juris doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota Law School with honors in 1981, and his bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering magna cum laude from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1978, where he was the recipient of an Army R.O.T.C. scholarship. He served four years in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Schutz is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; chair of the Center of the American Experiment; and is a member of the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis Board of Directors; and the University of Minnesota (U of M) Law Review Alumni Advisory Board. He is also a past president of the U of M Law Alumni Association. Schutz, who has been a member of the commission since 2003, is replaces Eric Magnuson as Chair.

McDonald, of Mendota Heights, is an attorney and partner with the Minneapolis Law firm of Meagher and Geer, where he practices in commercial litigation, employment practices, insurance and professional liability. He also serves on the firm’s management committee. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, International Association of Defense Counsel, Defense Research Institute, and the American and State Bar Associations. McDonald earned his juris doctorate degree from Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska in 1981, and his bachelor of arts degree from the University of St. Thomas in 1977. McDonald replaces Schutz as an at-large member of the commission.

The Commission on Judicial Selection solicits judicial candidates, evaluates applicants and recommends three to five finalists to the governor for district court and Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals vacancies that occur during the term of a judge. The commission consists of 49 members; 27 appointed by the Governor, and 22 by the Supreme Court.