A state panel is recommending that Gov. Mark Dayton consider two Minnesota Court of Appeals judges and the Minneapolis city attorney for an upcoming Supreme Court vacancy.
Appeals judges Margaret Chutich and Natalie Hudson along with city attorney Susan Segal are the Commission on Judicial Selection's recommendations.The panel is made up of members chosen by the governor and the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Justice Alan Page is stepping down at the end of August after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.
Dayton appointed Chutich to the appeals court in 2011. She has worked in both the U.S. attorney's office in Minnesota and the state attorney general's office.
Hudson has been on the appeals court longer, having been appointed by former GOv. Jesse Ventura in 2002. She previously worked at the Robins, Kaplan law firm, and as a city attorney in St. Paul and an assistant state attorney general.
Segal has been Minneapolis city attorney since 2008. She previously worked as a deputy to Sen. Amy Klobuchar when she was Hennepin County attorney. Segal is married to one of Dayton's top Cabinet officers, Budget Commissioner Myron Frans.
Dayton is not bound by recommendations of the commission and could make an outside pick. Another rumored contender in political and legal circles is state Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson, who previously worked as a law professor and as an attorney in the public and private sector.
Dayton is expected to announce his choice by the end of August. He is likely to be making another high court appointment in the coming months with Supreme Court Justice Wilhelmina Wright up for a federal judgeship.
