ST. PAUL, MN - Governor Tim Walz today announced the appointment of Benjamin Pieh as a District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District. Pieh will replace the Honorable Thomas W. Van Hon and will be chambered in Montevideo in Chippewa County.

“It is my pleasure to appoint Benjamin Pieh to the Eighth Judicial District,” said Governor Walz. “He is a longtime public defender who cares deeply about the fair administration of justice and protecting the rights of those he serves. As a dedicated resident of Chippewa County, he will take the bench every day with his community’s best interest in mind.”

Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District encompasses Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine Counties.

Benjamin Pieh is an assistant public defender in the Eighth Judicial District Public Defender’s Office, where he serves clients in criminal and juvenile delinquency cases in several counties. He was previously a law clerk for district court Judges Paul Nelson, Dwayne Knutsen, and Thomas Van Hon in Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District. Pieh chairs the 12th District Ethics Committee for the Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility and was a member of the 12th District Fee Arbitration Committee. He is the president of the Prairie Arts Chorale, a volunteer judge with the MSBA Mock Trial Program, and active in several local charitable and faith organizations. Pieh received his B.S. from Luther College and his J.D. from Rutgers Law School - Newark.

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