Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of John D. Kelly to the Commission on Judicial Selection.

Kelly, of Twig, is a partner with the Duluth law firm of Hanft Fride and has over 30 years of experience as an attorney. He is a member and past president of the Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners, a member of the Minnesota and Wisconsin State Bar Associations, International Association of Defense Counsel, American Board of Trial Advocates, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has frequently been listed as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in an annual review by his peers, a “Super Lawyer” by Minnesota Law and Politics, and received a “Minnesota Attorney of the Year” award in 2003 by Minnesota Lawyer.

Kelly earned his juris doctorate degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota, and his bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kelly replaces Larry Stauber, who resigned to accept an appointment to the Court of Appeals. Kelly will serve as a Sixth Judicial District attorney member on the Commission on Judicial Selection to complete a four-year term that expires on January 3, 2011.

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 appointed by the Supreme Court.