ST. PAUL, MN -The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today it is recommending four candidates to Governor Mark Dayton for consideration to fill the current vacancy in Minnesota's First Judicial District. This vacancy was created upon the retirement of the Honorable Robert R. King, Jr. Judge King's seat will be chambered at Hastings in Dakota County.

Sharon Freiling: Ms. Freiling is a partner at the South St. Paul firm of Montpetit, Freiling and Kranz, L.L.P., practicing primarily in family law, juvenile law, and criminal law. Ms. Freiling also serves as an Assistant Public Defender for the First Judicial District in the Juvenile Court Division, and as a contracted attorney for parents involved in the Dakota County Child Protection system. Ms. Freiling serves on the Executive Board of the Dakota County Bar Association, and is a member of the Children's Justice Initiative and the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Court Process Committee.

Christopher Lehmann: Mr. Lehmann is a partner at Grannis and Lehmann, P.A., where his practice consists of estate planning, wills, probate matters, residential real estate transactions, and family law. Mr. Lehmann also serves as an Assistant Public Defender for the First Judicial District and previously was an Assistant City Attorney for the City of St. Paul. Mr. Lehmann is a South St. Paul City Councilmember, and the President of the South Metro Fire Department Joint Powers Board and the Dakota County Bar Association.

Cynthia McCollum: Ms. McCollum is a senior attorney in the Hennepin County Public Defender's Office, where she supervised a team of lawyers and maintains a caseload of adult felony and misdemeanor cases and juvenile cases. Ms. McCollum also serves as an adjunct professor of law at the William Mitchell College of Law and the Hamline University School of Law. Ms. McCollum is Co-Director of the North Central Regional Trial Skills Program for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and is the former Chair of the Board of Directors for the Minnetonka Anchor Club.

Gary Voegele: Mr. Voegele is an attorney at Gary L. Voegele, P.A., where his practice includes family law, personal injury, real estate, probate, business law and civil and criminal matters. He also works as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas' Opus College of Business. Previously, Mr. Voegele was a Child Support Magistrate and contract Administrative Law Judge at the Office of Administrative Hearings. Mr. Voegele is a board member of the Minnesota State Bar Foundation and the Faribault Foundation, and the former Chair of the Family Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association.

Minnesota's First Judicial District consists of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott and Sibley Counties.

An announcement of the appointment will be made following an interview process over the next few weeks.