ST. PAUL, MN - Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointment of Mariam Mokri and Jennifer Olson as District Court Judges in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. These seats will be chambered in Minneapolis in Hennepin County.

Mariam Mokri will replace the Honorable Peter A. Cahill.

“It is my pleasure to appoint Mariam Mokri to the Fourth Judicial District,” said Governor Walz. “She is an experienced judicial officer who understands that faith in our justice system comes from ensuring that people, no matter their background, are heard and respected when they come to court.”

Jennifer Olson will replace the Honorable Susan M. Robiner.

“Jennifer Olson is going to be a remarkable addition to an already talented bench,” said Governor Walz. “She has the unique ability to distill highly complex legal theories into clear and understandable arguments. The people of Hennepin County will be well served by her strong legal acumen and deep commitment to equal justice under the law.”

Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District encompasses Hennepin County.

About Mariam Mokri
Mariam Mokri is a human services judge with the Department of Human Services. She previously served as a district court referee in the Civil and Criminal Divisions of the Fourth Judicial District and an assistant public defender in the Fourth Judicial District’s Public Defender’s Office. Mokri’s community involvement has included service as the chair of the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights and as a member of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers board of directors. She earned her B.A from Gustavus Adolphus College and from the University of Minnesota and her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

About Jennifer Olson
Jennifer Olson is an assistant attorney general in the Employment, Torts, and Public Utilities Commission Division in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, where she defends complex constitutional, statutory, employment, and tort litigation on behalf of the State of Minnesota and state agencies. She was previously a partner at Best & Flanagan LLP, where she served as the firm’s pro bono partner, and an associate attorney at Stinson LLP. Olson’s community involvement includes serving on the Volunteer Lawyers Network Benefactors Board and the Minnesota Justice Foundation Board. She has also served in various leadership roles with the Hennepin County Bar Association and on the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Pro Bono Council. Olson has also volunteered as a pro bono attorney with the Advocates for Human Rights, representing clients seeking asylum. She earned her B.A from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her J.D. from Boston College Law School.

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