Walz appoints Duluth’s City Attorney to Sixth District judge

DULUTH - Duluth’s City Attorney, in the role since the start of 2024, has been appointed to a judgeship in Minnesota’s Sixth District, Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan announced in a news release Monday.

Jessica Fralich, who was brought in by Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert after he was elected, replaces Judge David M. Johnson. She will be chambered at the St. Louis County Courthouse in Duluth, though the position’s reach also extends to Cook, Lake and Carlton Counties.

“Ms. Fralich’s diverse practice background will help her step in immediately and tackle the variety of challenges thrown her way,” Gov. Tim Walz said in a news release.

Fralich was a referee for the Sixth Judicial District and a prosecutor for the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office before she was hired as Duluth’s city attorney at the start of the year. She oversees civil and criminal litigation and advisory matters. She said it has been a privilege to serve as city attorney and she looks forward to continuing public service.

“I have truly enjoyed the work and the people and I will carry the lessons I have learned to the bench,” she said in a news release.

Much of her work has centered on domestic violence: as a team member for Domestic Violence Restorative Circles and the Domestic Violence Response Team. She has also worked with the Range Coordinated Community Response Team.

Reinert, who said in a news release that he wrote a letter of support for Fralich, said there isn’t a timeline yet for filling her role, which he described as a top priority. Officials haven’t yet said what day will be her last with the city.

“Meanwhile, we have an incredibly solid legal team at the city and our next city attorney may even already be with us,” Reinert said.

Lt. Gov. Flanagan said she applauded the appointment.

“Whether it is serving as Duluth’s city attorney or working as a judicial referee, her commitment to service and community is at the heart of what drives her,” she said. “Her deep familiarity of the St. Louis County justice system will make her a great asset to this bench.”

Other finalists for the position included Jeffrey Boucher, chief deputy attorney of the Carlton County Attorney’s Office, and Aaron Welch, a senior assistant county attorney in St. Louis County.

Johnson was appointed in 2006, then continually reelected to six year terms through the 2020 election.

Voters will control who fills another Sixth District vacancy, following the retirement of Judge Dale Harris, who is finishing out his term. Gunnar Johnsonand Shawn Reed advanced from a tight primary election and will be on the ballot Nov. 5.