Dayton gets three Supreme Court finalists

A panel that screens Minnesota judicial candidates has narrowed a list of recommendations to three for an upcoming vacancy on the state Supreme Court.

The Commission on Judicial Selection forwarded to Gov. Mark Dayton the names of: Appeals Judge Edward Cleary, St. Louis County District Court Judge James Florey and Hennepin County District Court Judge Ann McKeig.

Dayton is under no obligation to abide by the list of finalists, but he has typically chosen from the pool of candidates sent his way.

The pick marks a milestone for Dayton, who will have appointed a majority of the sitting justices on the seven-member court. The new justice will replace the retiring Associate Justice Christopher Dietzen, who is stepping down at the end of August.

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Dayton's office said he would make his selection after interviewing the finalists over the next few weeks.

Cleary is the highest-ranking judge on the list. He is chief judge on the Court of Appeals, where he has served since 2011. He was originally appointed to a Ramsey County judgeship by then-Gov. Jesse Ventura of the Independence Party. Dayton elevated him to the appeals court.

Florey had been chief judge for a time in the Sixth Judicial District and has been on the bench since former Republican Gov. Arne Carlson appointed him in 1999.

McKeig is the presiding judge for family court in Hennepin County. Her time as a judge began in 2008 after an appointment by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.