Governor Dayton Appoints MNAPABA Member Shan C. Wang to Fill Seventh Judicial District Vacancy in St. Cloud

ST. PAUL, MN – Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointments of Matthew M. Quinn and Shan C. Wang as District Court Judges in Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District. Mr. Quinn will be replacing the Honorable Vicki E. Landwehr, and will be chambered at Milaca in Mille Lacs County. Mr. Wang is filling a new district court judgeship created in the Seventh Judicial District by the Minnesota Supreme Court, and will be chambered at St. Cloud in Stearns County.

 “Mr. Matthew Quinn and Mr. Shan Wang bring diverse professional and volunteer experience to this important role,” said Governor Dayton. “I thank Mr. Quinn and Mr. Wang for agreeing to serve the people of our state as District Court Judges for Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District.” 

About Shan C. Wang

Mr. Wang is the Assistant Chief of the Criminal Division in the Stearns County Attorney’s Office, where he supervises the adult criminal division. Previously, he was an Assistant Stearns County Attorney and a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Regina M. Chu. He earned his B.A. from Chicago State University and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Mr. Wang is the President of the St. Cloud Public Library Board of Trustees, serves on the Board of Directors of the Stearns-Benton Bar Association, is a member of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and is the past president of the John E. Simonett American Inn of Court.

Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District consists of Becker, Benton, Clay, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, Todd, and Wadena Counties.

About MNAPABA's Efforts to Increase Diversity on the Bench

MNAPABA's Judicial Selection Committee works all year long to promote diversity and inclusion on the state and federal bench in Minnesota. 

Since its inception less than five years ago, the MNAPABA Judicial Selection Committee has helped dozens of MNAPABA members and allies through both the state and federal judicial application processes and seen four appointed to the bench. 

With Mr. Wang's appointment by Governor Dayton today, MNAPABA counts ten state or federal APA judges active with MNAPABA within the state of Minnesota currently on active or senior status. This number has more than doubled in the past three years. 

MNAPABA's Judicial Selection Committee is led by Irene Kao and the Honorable Nicole J. Starr.