ST. PAUL, MN - Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointment of Kelly Staples as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s First Judicial District. Staples will replace the Honorable David L. Knutson and will be chambered in Hastings in Dakota County.

“It is my privilege to appoint Kelly Staples to the Dakota County bench,” said Governor Walz. “Her wealth of family law experience, coupled with her ability to help clients navigate their most challenging moments, gives me the confidence that she will be a great judge.”

Minnesota’s First Judicial District consists of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott, and Sibley Counties.

Kelly Staples is a court-appointed counsel in paternity, child support, and civil commitment matters and a volunteer conciliation court referee in Dakota County. She also maintains a private family law practice focusing on child custody and domestic abuse cases. Staples’s community involvement includes serving on the board of directors for Legal Assistance of Dakota County, judging high school mock trial, volunteering at legal self-help clinics through 360 Communities, and supporting her children’s many activities. She earned her B.A. from the University of Minnesota and her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

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