Saint Paul -- Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Renee L. Worke to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, Shari R. Schluchter to the Ninth Judicial District trial court bench in Beltrami County and Barbara R. Hanson to the Seventh Judicial District trial court bench in Otter Tail County.

Worke, of Owatonna, is the chief judge of the Third Judicial District. She has been a Third Judicial District trial court judge chambered in Waseca County since 1996 and has been chief judge of the district since 2002 and was assistant chief judge from 2001 through 2002. Prior to her appointment to the bench in 1996, Worke was an attorney with the Owatonna law firm of Rietz, Rietz, Rietz and Worke from 1984 to 1996. Worke also served as a part-time contract Third Judicial District public defender from 1984 to 1996 and a part-time contract Administrative Law Judge in the child support division from 1994 to 1996. She was a Third Judicial District law clerk for the Honorable Urban J. Steimann in Faribault from 1983 to 1984. Worke earned her juris doctorate degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul in 1983 and her bachelor of science degree magna cum laude from Minnesota State University, Mankato, in 1980.

"Judge Worke has proven herself as an outstanding jurist and a judicial leader," Governor Pawlenty said. "In addition, her work on the Conference of Chief Judge and as a member of the redistricting panel demonstrated her ability to work well with others. She will bring her intelligence, experience and collegiality to the Court of Appeals and be an exceptional addition to that court."

Worke was recently re-elected to a second full term as chief judge of the Third Judicial District and serves as vice chair of the state Conference of Chief Judges. She is also a member of the Supreme Court's Transformation Workgroup, lead judge for the Children's Justice Initiative and served as a member of the Supreme Court-appointed Legislative Redistricting Panel. In 2002, Worke received the Minnesota State Bar Association Public Law Section's Rosalie E. Wahl Judicial Award of Excellence. She is also a coach and team manager of Odyssey of the Mind and Destination Imagination, and is active in the Rotary Club of Waseca, the Boy Scouts, and the University of Minnesota Extension Steering Committee.

Worke will fill the vacancy for a judge appointed from the First Congressional District created by the retirement of the Honorable James C. Harten, whose retirement was effective on March 31, 2005. Worke, 46, was born and raised in Waseca and lives in Owatonna with her husband, Mark Ditlevson, and their two sons, Rosy, 14, and Mick, 9.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has jurisdiction of appeals from all final decisions of trial courts other than conciliation courts except for appeals in election contests, convictions of murder in the first degree and appeals from the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals and the Tax Court, which are appealed directly to the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals consists of 16 judges; eight judges who serve at-large, and eight judges who are initially appointed -- one each -- from the state's eight congressional districts.

Schluchter has been the chief assistant Beltrami County attorney since 1990 and was an assistant Beltrami County attorney from 1985 to 1990. She was also an attorney with the Bemidji law firm of Faver, Schluchter and Tingelstad from 1992 to 1995 and an attorney with the Bemidji law firm of Keyes and Faver from 1985 to 1992. Schluchter earned her juris doctorate degree (1985) and her bachelor of science degree cum laude (1982) from the University of North Dakota.

"The courts in Beltrami County have had a tremendous increase in the criminal caseload and they need a judge who has the experience and work ethic to step in and assist in the handling of those cases," Governor Pawlenty said. "Shari Schluchter is that person. She has the criminal trial experience, a reputation for working hard, and the respect of those who work in the judicial system."

Schluchter is the treasurer of the Beltrami County Bar Association, a member of the Beltrami County Child Protection Team, the Children's Justice Initiative Team, the Kinship North Advisory Board, and the Bemidji Area Super Swimmers Board. She has also been the Secretary of the First Lutheran Church Council, and has served on the Beltrami County Truancy Committee and the Independent School District 31 Attendance Policy Committee.

Schluchter will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Richard C. Taylor, whose retirement was effective on December 31, 2004. The Supreme Court transferred the chambers of this judgeship from Polk County to Beltrami County. Schluchter, 44, was born in Cavalier, North Dakota and lives in Bemidji with her husband, William Frey, and their daughters, Kaleigh, 14, and Stephanie, 10.

Hanson is an assistant Otter Tail County attorney, a position she has held since 1984. Hanson earned her juris doctorate degree with distinction from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks in 1984, her bachelor of science degree cum laude from Bemidji State University in 1977, and her associate of arts degree from Fergus Falls Community College in 1975.

"Residents of the Fergus Falls area have told me how important they feel it is for them to have a judge who is fair, treats people with respect, and is invested in the community," Governor Pawlenty said. "Barb Hanson has demonstrated that she has these qualities. Her conduct professionally as well as personally has prepared her for this judgeship."

Hanson is a member of the Otter Tail County Juvenile Advisory Council, the Fergus Falls High School Choral and Band Boosters, the Lake Region Halfway House Board of Directors, and is active in her church. She has also trained child protection social workers and law enforcement officers on a variety of legal topics and served on the Process Parenting Advisory Council and the CARE (Children are the Responsibility of Everyone) Council.

Hanson will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Kathleen A. Weir on January 4, 2005. The Supreme Court certified the chambers of this judgeship for the city of Fergus Falls in Otter Tail County. Hanson, 49, was born in Perham and lives in Fergus Falls with her husband, Charles, and their two children Amanda, 18, and Matthew, 14.