FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 11, 2025
Contact: Claire Lancaster
claire.lancaster@state.mn.us
651-219-2975

Commission on Judicial Selection Recommends Eighth Judicial District Candidates to Governor Walz 

[ST. PAUL, MN] – The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that it is recommending three candidates for consideration to fill the vacancy in Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District. The vacancy occurred upon the retirement of the Honorable Jennifer K. Fischer. This seat will be chambered in Willmar in Kandiyohi County. 

John Fitzgerald: John Fitzgerald is the first assistant county attorney at the Meeker County Attorney’s Office, where he supervises attorneys and support staff in the prosecution of criminal matters. In addition, he prosecutes a variety of misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, and felony-level offenses. Fitzgerald also represents Meeker County in civil commitment proceedings and guardianship matters. He was previously a law clerk for the Honorable Kristine R. DeMay in Minnesota’s Ninth Judicial District. Fitzgerald’s community involvement includes serving as chair of the Meeker Area Food Shelf and as member of the board of directors of the Litchfield Lion’s Club. 

Kristen Pierce:  Kristen Pierce is the first assistant county attorney in the Kandiyohi County Attorney’s Office, where she supervises attorneys and support staff, provides legal advice to county departments, and maintains a criminal, juvenile, and civil commitment caseload. She was previously an associate attorney at Anderson Larson, a law clerk for the Honorable Ann L. Carrott in Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District, and a public defender in the Eighth Judicial District. Pierce’s community involvement includes serving on the board of directors of the West Central Singers and as a volunteer judge with the MSBA Mock Trial Program. She is also active in several local charitable and faith organizations.

Heidi Torvik: Heidi Torvik is an attorney at Anderson Larson, where she represents plaintiffs and defendants in civil and criminal matters in state and federal court. She was previously an attorney at Lommen Abdo, P.A. and Nelson, Oyen, and Torvik, where she served as an assistant county attorney for the Chippewa County Attorney's Office and an assistant city attorney for the City of Montevideo. Torvik has taught products liability as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School and recently co-authored a chapter for the Minnesota Insurance Law Deskbook on Agent and Broker Liability. She serves as a district ethics investigator, is a flutist with the Montevideo Community Band, and regularly performs at community, legal, and judicial events as part of a chamber music group composed of attorneys and judges.  

For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage. 

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