Hennepin County Bar Association

Hennepin County
Bar Association

Judicial Plebiscites

Meet the Judges How District Court Works Judicial Elections

The Hennepin County Bar Association has been conducting Judicial Plebiscites since 1984.

There have been 39 contested Hennepin County District Court elections since then and one Hennepin County Municipal Court challenge.

The bar's poll asks attorneys to vote for one candidate in each contested election--allowing the Hennepin County Bar members to express their preference for judgeships prior to the general public election.

The tables below show the incumbent judge( * ), the challenger, the number and percentage of votes received, the percentage of HCBA membership that voted in the poll, and the candidate who was elected to the bench by the public.

2012 Results

2008 Results

2006 Results

2004 Results

2002 Results

2000 Results

1998 Results

1996 Results

1994 Results

1990 Results

1986 Results

1984 Results

2012 General Election - Hennepin County District Court
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% Voting in Plebescite	Winner of General Election
Steven Antolak	353	24.74%	20%
Elizabeth Cutter	1074	75.26%	20%	Elizabeth Cutter

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% Voting in Plebescite	Winner of General Election
Marc Berris	645	47.81%	20%
Lois Conroy	704	52.19%	20%	Lois Conroy

2008 General Election - Hennepin County District Court
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% Voting in Plebescite	Winner of General Election
*Philip D. Bush	1015	97%	14%	Philip D. Bush
Eugene Link	30	3%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% Voting Plebescite	Winner of General Election
David L. Piper	622	59.5%	14%	Jane Ranum
Jane Ranum	424	40.5%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% Voting Plebescite	Winner of General Election
Thomas F. Haeg	234	22%	14%	James T. Swenson
*James T. Swenson	836	78%

2006 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% Voting	Winner of General Election
*Patricia Kerr Karasov	855	68.1%	19.6%	Patricia Kerr Karasov
Dee Rowe	401	31.9%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% Voting	Winner of General Election
Kevin J. Kolosky	58	4.5%	19.6%	John Q. McShane
*John Q. McShane	1219	95.5%


2004 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Thor Anderson	579	79.2%	9.5%	Thor Anderson
Julie Delgado-O'Neil	152	20.8%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
Stephen Allan Baker	132	17.5%	9.8%	Susan N. Burke
Susan N. Burke	621	82.5%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*LaJune Thomas Lange	498	68.6%	9.4%	LaJune Thomas Lange
Kevin J. Kolosky	228	31.4%



2002 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Harry Seymour Crump	1547	91.4%	23%	Harry Seymour Crump
Kevin J. Kolosky	145	8.6%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Stephen C. Aldrich	1503	86.8%	23%	Stephen C. Aldrich
Judd Edward Gushwa	228	13.2%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Tanya M. Bransford	1459	85.8%	23%	Tanya M. Bransford
Joseph (Pat) McCormick	241	14.2%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Thomas W. Wexler	1273	74%	23%	Thomas W. Wexler
Jill Clark	447	26%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Herbert P. Lefler	1377	82.5%	23%	Herbert P. Lefler
Liz Pierce	292	17.5%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*James T. Swenson	1478	87.5%	23%	*James T. Swenson
Robert D. Schwartz	212	12.5%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Lloyd Zimmerman	1439	85%	23%	Lloyd Zimmerman
Julie Delgado O'Neil	253	15%

2000 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*David Duffy	1,411	86.6%	23%	David Duffy
Shaun G. Jamison	219	13.4%
*Myron S. Greenberg	1,506	90.2%	23%	Myron S. Greenberg
Kevin J. Kolosky	163	9.8%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Patricia Kerr Karasov	1,058	67%	23%	Patricia Kerr Karasov
Kathleen A. Mottl	521	33%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*John Q. McShane	1,515	92.2%	23%	John Q. McShane
Dennis Evans	129	7.8%

1998 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Franklin J. Knoll	1,451	94%	20%	Franklin J. Knoll
Kevin J. Kolosky	87	6%

1996 Primary Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting
*William B. Christensen	449	22%	29%
Richard E. Schieffer	284	14%
Mary E. Steenson	1,274	63%

	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting
D. Richard Hellweg	116	6%	29%
Daniel B. Johnson	320	16%
Bruce A. Peterson	1,448	72%
Janet Nordell Poston	138	7%

	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting
Stephen C. Aldrich	519	26%	29%
Jerry Gallivan	329	16%
Stephen C. Rathke	496	24%
Charles D. Reite	536	26%
James P. Reynolds	155	8%

1996 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Pamela G. Alexander	1,397	82%	24%	Pamela G. Alexander
Kevin J. Kolosky	297	18%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*William B. Christensen	409	24%	24%	Mary E. Steenson
Mary E. Steenson	1,328	76%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Bruce Hartigan	798	45%	24%	Bruce Hartigan
Bradley C. Thorsen	968	55%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Charles A. Porter, Jr.	1,048	60%	24%	Charles A. Porter, Jr.
Paul D. Tierney	690	40%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
Bruce A. Peterson	1,549	87%	24%	Janet Nordell Poston
Janet Nordell Poston	226	13%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
Stephen C. Aldrich	1,019	58%	24%	Stephen C. Aldrich
Stephen C. Rathke	729	42%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Thomas Wexler	1,054	62%	24%	Thomas Wexler
Michael J. Fitzgerald	655	38%

1994 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Deborah Hedlund	1,840	76%	36.5	Derborah Hedlund
Kevin J. Kolosky	580	24%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Delores C. Orey	1,715	71%	36.5%	Delores C. Orey
Donald A. Hillstrom	715	29%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Sean Jerome Rice	555	22%	36.5%	Patricia Kerr Karasov
Patricia Kerr Karasov	1,924	78%

1990 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*William Christensen	963	51%	31%	William Christensen
Thomas B. Wilson	926	49%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*James D. Rogers	704	37%	31%	Thomas W. Wexler
Thomas W. Wexler	1,215	63%

1986 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*LaJune Thomas Lange	1,562	81%	35%	LaJune Thomas Lange
Donald A. Hillstrom	365	19%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
Isabel Gomez- Edwards	1,524	80%	35%	Isabel Gomez-Edwards
John L. Gorman	372	20%

1984 General Election - Hennepin County District Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*Charles A. Porter, Jr.	1,357	67%	40%	Charles A. Porter, Jr.
Patrick J. Foley	630	33%

Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Members Voting	Winner of General Election
*Chester Durda	1,506	79%	40%	Chester Durda
John J. Hancock	408	21%

1984 General Election - Hennepin County Municipal Court Back to Top
Candidates	Votes Cast by Members		% of HCBA Voting	Winner of General Election
*James D. Rogers	1,322	68%	40	James D. Rogers
David K. Porter	630	32%

Legal Notice

Hennepin County Bar Association. 600 Nicollet Mall #390,Minneapolis, MN 55402. Phone: 612-752-6600.