Two candidates vying for judgeship in Washington County

The focus of most local elections is placed on where a given candidate lands politically and how they plan to advocate on a given issue. But in the race for judicial seats, such politicking doesn't apply.

Judges are sworn to impartially apply the law in each case coming before them so, for voters, the sometimes perplexing task of discerning whom to vote for comes down to apolitical factors such as background and character. Contested judicial elections are relatively infrequent, but Washington County voters will decide between two candidates on Nov. 4 for one seat.

Judge Susan Miles of Scandia is running for her fourth six-year term in the 10th Judicial District. She faces a challenge from Julie LaFleur, an attorney specializing in family law who lives in Forest Lake.

The 10th Judicial District includes Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Sherburne Washington and Wright counties, making it more akin to a congressional district. There are 45 judges, including 10 seated in Washington County (Anoka County has the most at 17). Four other judges seated in Washington County — B. William Ekstrum, Gregory Galler, Richard Ilkka and Ellen Maas — are running unopposed.

Miles is standing squarely on her experience: 18 years in private law practice that included stints with two large Twin Cities firms along with work in the state Attorney General's Office, and 18 years on the bench dealing with an array of cases from civil disputes and family matters to murders.

"I think when people come to court, in a lot of cases they have never expected to be in a courtroom, and they're looking for someone with that experience," she said. "… It takes not only legal experience, but life experience."

Also, Miles said, the state is facing a flurry of judicial retirements. Gov. Mark Dayton has appointed 76 new judges since 2011, with at least 80 hitting retirement age in the next four years, meaning experience will be even more important as sitting judges mentor the newcomers.

She is particularly concerned with mental health issues, and sits on the board of Canvas Health, which offers services at several locations in Washington County and elsewhere.

Miles has garnered broad public support, she added. In a Minnesota Bar Association poll among members in the 10th District, she received 82 percent of the vote.

"I view that as a huge vote of confidence," she said. Washington County Attorney Pete Orput, Sheriff Bill Hutton, former Vice President Walter Mondale and several retired state Supreme Court justices are among those backing her candidacy.

LaFleur also points to a wide variety of professional experience that focuses on family law, but also includes criminal defense work and being an investigator for the Minnesota's Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board. She has also been a reserve police officer and devoted hundreds of hours offering free legal assistance to those in need, all of which gives her a compassion for people that judges need — but often lack, particularly in the emotion-charged realm of family law.

"I have seen what happens to people who've been subject to unfair treatment or poor treatment in the courtroom, not just to that one person, but to their entire families," LaFleur said. The results are not just devastating emotionally, she added, but lead to a destructive mistrust and disillusionment with the justice system.

LaFleur also has experience, and an undergraduate degree in industrial technology. That gives her a keen understanding of new types of crime such as cyberstalking and hacking, and also comfort with the electronic court records now replacing paper.

She also has a strong base of public supporters, she added, including from OutFront Minnesota and labor groups for which she donates legal help. She also has been named a top lawyer in the state by Mpls./St. Paul magazine. She downplayed the Bar Association poll, noting that it was "loosely run" and had a low participation rate.