She has dedicated her career to pursuing justice for those on the margins, and I am confident that her fair and compassionate approach to the law will benefit those who need it the most.”

Lieutenant Governor Flanagan

Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced the appointment of Krista Marks as District Court Judge in Minnesota’s First Judicial District on Friday. Marks will replace the Honorable Arlene M. Asencio Perkkio and will be chambered in Hastings in Dakota County.

“I am honored to appoint Krista Marks to the First Judicial District,” said Governor Walz. “As a longtime public defender, she is committed to serving Minnesotans and dedicated to fair and just outcomes. I am confident that she will bring an important perspective to the Dakota County bench.”

“Krista Marks will be an extraordinary judge for Dakota County,” said Lieutenant Governor Flanagan. “Her lived experience is powerful, and she is deeply rooted in community. She has dedicated her career to pursuing justice for those on the margins, and I am confident that her fair and compassionate approach to the law will benefit those who need it the most.”

Minnesota’s First Judicial District consists of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott, and Sibley Counties.

Marks is an assistant public defender in the Fourth Judicial District Public Defender’s Office in Hennepin County. She was previously a staff attorney and expungement program director at the Neighborhood Justice Center, where her work centered around community advocacy. Marks’s community involvement includes volunteering at her son’s school and at Neighbors, Inc., a local nonprofit that provides food, clothing, and other services to those in need in her community. She earned her B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.