For immediate release: Contact: John Wodele Wednesday, October 11, 2000 651-296-0001 John Hultquist 651-296-0019

GOVERNOR VENTURA APPOINTS THREE TO FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT BENCH

(St. Paul, MN) - Governor Jesse Ventura today announced the appointment of George McGunnigle, Kathryn Quaintance and Warren Sagstuen to the Fourth Judicial District trial court bench in Hennepin County.

The openings occurred with the retirement of the Honorable Mary Davidson on July 21, 2000, the resignation of the Honorable Thomas Carey effective October 15, 2000, and the conversion of a vacant court referee position into a district court judgeship by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

McGunnigle is a shareholder, chair of the business litigation department and a member of the board of directors of the Minneapolis law firm Leonard, Street and Deinard. He has been an attorney with the firm since 1972. McGunnigle was an assistant United States Attorney in Bridgeport, Connecticut from 1971 to 1972, and was a prosecutor, defense counsel, appellate defense counsel and military judge in the United States Navy JAG Corps from 1968 to 1971. McGunnigle earned his Master of Laws degree from George Washington Law School in Washington, DC in 1967, his Juris Doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law School in Washington, DC in 1966 and his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts in 1963.

"In sports we would refer to George as a 'blue chipper'," Governor Ventura said. "If someone the caliber of George, who is a giant in the legal profession, is willing to leave the private sector to become a judge, I would be foolish not to appoint him."

McGunnigle has given numerous lectures in the area of civil litigation in Minnesota and throughout the country. He has been listed in Who's Who in American Law, The Best Lawyers in America, Guide to the World's Leading Litigation Lawyers (one of three Minnesota litigators), and The Best Lawyers in Minnesota. McGunnigle has been active in the leadership of the American Bar Association litigation section for the past 12 years, currently serving as co-chair of that section's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Arthritis Foundation.

McGunnigle, 58, was born in Rochester, New York, grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, and currently lives in Minnetonka with his wife, Priscilla. They have two children.

Quaintance is the deputy Hennepin County Attorney in Minneapolis. She has been a prosecutor in the Hennepin County Attorney's office since 1990. Quaintance was an associate attorney in the Minneapolis law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi from 1986 to 1990. In 1987, Quaintance was on exchange from the Robins firm with the St. Paul City Attorney's office, serving as an associate city attorney. Quaintance earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Rutgers Law School in Newark, New Jersey in 1986 and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1977.

"Kathryn has a great combination of book smarts and street smarts," Governor Ventura said. "Nobody is going to pull the wool over her eyes. In addition, with her knowledge of the Hennepin County court system, she will be able to hit the ground running."

Quaintance, whose undergraduate major was in theatre, has acted in productions of Theatre in the Round and is a board member of New Classic Theatre. She has also trained volunteer rape crisis counselors at the Sexual Violence Center, Neighborhood Involvement Program and the University of Minnesota Sexual Violence Center.

Quaintance, 45, was born in New Haven Connecticut, and currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband, Richard Sullivan and their two children.

Sagstuen, Minneapolis, is a senior assistant public defender in the Office of the Hennepin County Public Defender. He has been an attorney in the Hennepin County Public Defender's office since 1976. Sagstuen was an associate attorney with the law firm of LeFevere, Lefler, Hamilton and Pearson in Minneapolis from 1973 to 1975 and a law clerk to the Honorable Urban Steimann, Judge of the Third Judicial District in Faribault, from 1972 to 1973. Sagstuen earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1972 and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in 1967.

"As a public defender, Warren can't pick and choose his cases. He has to take whatever cases are assigned to him," Governor Ventura said. "He does his job with dignity and treats all his clients with respect. I know that as a judge, he will treat those who appear before him the same way."

In addition to his extensive involvement in legal associations, Sagstuen is a member of the Minnesota Client Security Board, the Human Subjects Research Committee of the Hennepin County Medical Center, the Minnesota Supreme Court Evaluation Committee on Open Juvenile Protection Hearings and the Hennepin County District Court Gender Fairness Task Force. Sagstuen also volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Minnesota.

Sagstuen, 55, was born in Thief River Falls and currently lives in Minneapolis.

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