ST. PAUL, MN - The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that it is recommending six candidates for consideration to fill the vacancies in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Two of the vacancies occurred upon the retirement of the Honorable Amy E. Dawson and the Honorable Jay M. Quam, and the other vacancy will occur upon the retirement of the Honorable Charlene W. Hatcher. These seats will be chambered in Minneapolis in Hennepin County.

Sean Cahill: Sean Cahill is a senior assistant county attorney in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. His practice areas have included adult felony prosecution, appellate practice, juvenile delinquency prosecution, child protection representation, and postconviction litigation. Cahill previously served as an assistant public defender in Hennepin County.?His community involvement includes serving as a member of the Minnesota Rules of Evidence Advisory Committee, an adjunct law professor for the University of St. Thomas School of Law and Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and the vice chair of the City of Minneapolis Zoning Board of Adjustment. He also volunteers with the American Mock Trial Association, the McGee Moot Court Competition, and his children’s schools.

Nathan Nelson: Nathan Nelson is an assistant U.S. attorney working in both the Criminal and Appellate Divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, where he handles a variety of felony criminal matters. He was previously a litigation associate at Bowman & Brooke, L.L.P. and Clark, Thomas, & Winters, P.C., where he litigated complex civil cases.?Nelson also served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Janis Jack on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, the Honorable Maryanne Barry on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the Honorable Alan Page, the Honorable Christopher Dietzen, and the Honorable Wilhemina Wright of the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Ngoc Nguyen: Ngoc Nguyen is a district court referee in the housing division of the Fourth Judicial District, presiding over housing, harassment, and criminal expungement matters. She previously served as a human services judge at the Department of Human Services and an assistant appellate public defender in the Office of the Minnesota Appellate Public Defender. Nguyen’s community involvement includes serving as a volunteer tutor with Reading Partners Minnesota and an advisory member of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She previously served as a guardian ad litem for Ramsey County, a panelist for the Hennepin County Police Conduct Review Panel, and board member for Tubman Family Alliance.

Carrie Ryan Gallia: Carrie Ryan Gallia is a senior associate general counsel in the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Minnesota, where she handles litigation and advises on student affairs, freedom of expression, civil rights, and other issues.?She previously was an attorney at Lindquist & Vennum and Fish & Richardson, as well as a law clerk to the Honorable Carlos Bea on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ryan Gallia’s community involvement includes teaching judicial writing at the University of Minnesota Law School, serving as a board member for Xperitas, and volunteering at Jefferson High School in Bloomington.

Andrew Tweeten: Andrew Tweeten is an assistant U.S. attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, where he investigates and litigates civil fraud cases on behalf of the United States and defends federal agencies and officials against a wide variety of civil claims. He was previously an assistant attorney general in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office and a law clerk for the Honorable Donald Molloy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana and the Honorable Sidney Thomas on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Tweeten’s community involvement includes serving as a volunteer conciliation court referee in the Fourth Judicial District, volunteering with the Minnesota Urban Debate League, and singing and volunteering with One Voice Mixed Chorus. He is also a member of the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association.

Matthew Wilcox: Matthew Wilcox is deputy general counsel for the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, where he manages a team of legal professionals and oversees the agency’s contracting and litigation portfolios. He also serves as an assistant staff judge advocate (Major) at the United States Air Force Warfare Center. Wilcox was previously an assistant city attorney for the City of Minneapolis and an assistant appellate defender in the Office of the Appellate Defender in Montana. His community involvement includes mentoring law students as part of the University of St. Thomas School of Law Mentor Externship Program and serving as a mock trial judge for the MSBA’s high school mock trial program. Wilcox is also a member of the American Legion and an Army veteran who deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Spartan Shield.

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