Dayton appoints former House speaker as judge

Gov. Mark Dayton is naming a Ramsey County prosecutor and former state speaker of the House as a judge for the state's Fourth Judicial District covering Hennepin County.

Philip Carruthers is director of the Civil Division in the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, where he oversees all civil litigation involving the county and represents a number of county departments. He previously led the office's Prosecution Division.

Carruthers represented Brooklyn Center as a Democrat in the Minnesota House from 1987 to 2001 and served as speaker in 1997 and 1998. He now lives in Minnetonka.

Dayton also appointed Nancy Brasel, an assistant U.S. attorney, to a Fourth District seat. She serves in the fraud and public corruption section.

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