Saint Paul, MN - Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointments of Matti Adam and Seamus Duffy as District Court Judges in Minnesota’s Ninth Judicial District. Adam will be replacing the Honorable Shari R. Schluchter and Duffy will be replacing the Honorable Darlene Rivera Spalla. These seats will be chambered in Bemidji in Beltrami County and Mahnomen in Mahnomen County.

“I am proud to appoint Matti Adam to the Ninth Judicial District,” said Governor Walz. “Her years of service as a public servant and her dedication to the people of northwestern Minnesota will make her an excellent addition to the bench.”

“I am also honored to appoint Seamus Duffy,” said Governor Walz. “His diverse experience dealing with criminal, family, and juvenile law, as well as his dedication to public service, makes him well-suited for the Mahnomen County bench.”

Minnesota’s Ninth Judicial District encompasses Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau Counties.

About Matti Adam:

Matti Adam is the county attorney in the Itasca County Attorney’s Office, where she is the county’s chief prosecutor and legal advisor. She was previously an assistant county attorney in the Itasca County Attorney’s Office and a law clerk for the Honorable Fred Karasov and the Honorable Peter Cahill in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Adam’s community involvement includes serving as the co-chair of the Minnesota County Attorney’s Association Indian Law Committee and as a board member of the Grand Rapids Area Library Foundation. She earned her B.A. from Bemidji State University and her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

About Seamus Duffy:

Seamus Duffy is the county attorney in the Pennington County Attorney’s Office. He was previously an assistant public defender in the Ninth Judicial District and an attorney at Duffy Law Office. Duffy’s community involvement includes serving as a member of the Pennington County DWI Court and a lecturer at Northland Community and Technical College. His community involvement also includes volunteering with the Thief River Falls Amateur Hockey Association and the Thief River Falls Archery Club. He earned his B.S. and J.D. from the University of North Dakota.

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