New Fifth Judicial District judge appointed

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ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton announced the appointment this week of Robert A. Docherty as a District Court Judge in the Fifth Judicial District. Docherty will be chambered in New Ulm at Brown County.

Docherty, along with defense attorneys Louis Kuchera and John Scholl, represented Randy Swaney, the South Dakota man accused of murdering Blue Mounds State Park worker Carrie Nelson in 2001. murder trial took place in 2008. He was convicted of murder — three first-degree charges and two second-degree charges, and is currently serving a life sentence in prison.

There have been several changes in judgeships in the past several months in the Fifth Judicial District with the retirement of Judge Timothy Connell and Judge Jeffrey Flynn, who were chambered in Rock and Nobles counties, respectively. Judge Bruce Gross, chambered in Cottonwood County, is slated to retire later this summer.

Docherty will replace Judge John Rodenberg, who was appointed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals earlier this year.

Currently the Managing Attorney in the Mankato office of the Fifth Judicial District Public Defender’s Office, Docherty serves as the liaison to the courts in three counties, supervises office personnel and maintains an active caseload. He has handled a wide variety of civil, criminal, juvenile and appellate cases, serving as the Assistant Public Defender for the Fifth Judicial District and practicing as an attorney with the Somsen, Schade and Franta law firm in New Ulm.

Minnesota’s Fifth Judicial District consists of Blue Earth, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock and Watonwan counties.

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