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Today we welcomed Ramsey County District Court Judge DeAnne Hilgers. Judge Hilgers hails from the area, having graduated from Mounds View High School and currently living in North Oaks. After graduating from law school, she practiced law for a number of years with the Lindquist and Vennum firm, specializing in employment and immigration law, before being appointed to the bench by Governor Mark Dayton. Hilgers provided an overview of the Court's structure. There are 29 judges in our county, less than half the number in Hennepin County. The system includes three types of courtrooms - civil, family, and adult criminal. Judges rotate through these, serving 3 year terms in each area. Although judges are most often initially appointed rather than elected, there is a rigorous application and review process which precedes the governor's decision. Judge Hilgers spoke at length about the importance of our country's system of trial by a jury of peers. She stressed the importance of serving on a jury if selected, though few trials end up going to this stage - only 159 last year. She recently traveled to the country of Georgia in the former Soviet Republic, to serve as a consultant as they attempt to create a jury system there. It is a difficult task in a place like Georgia where there is rampant distrust of the law and of government. Although a judge has some limited ability to overrule a jury, it is exceedingly rare. Her feeling is that "juries usually get it right".