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Judge William J. Fisher sworn in as U.S. Bankruptcy Judge

Welcome, Judge Fisher!
On June 1, 2016, U.S. District Judge Joan Ericksen administered the oath of office to new U.S. Bankruptcy Judge William J. Fisher. Below is information on staffing and case assignment procedures implemented in the wake of Judge Fisher’s assumption of his official duties.

Judge Fisher’s Staff
Judge Fisher will be assisted by Law Clerks Ian Rubenstrunk (ian_rubenstrunk@mnb.uscourts.gov or 651-848-1060) and Trevor Carolan (trevor_carolan@mnb.uscourts.gov or 651-848-1060), Calendar Clerk Jamie Smith (jamie_smith@mnb.uscourts.gov or 651-848-1061) and Court Reporter Kristin Neff (kristin_neff@mnb.uscourts.gov or 651-848-1064).

Judge Fisher’s Chambers and Courtroom
Judge Fisher will chamber in the St. Paul Courthouse, Suite 232. He will hold hearings and trials in Courtroom 2B (NOTE: This is NOT the same courtroom previously used by Judge Kishel), though some June hearings may be held in Courtroom 2A due to construction in Courtroom 2B. Questions should be directed to Calendar Clerk Jamie Smith. See also the Judges tab on the court’s website for additional information.

Case assignment in St. Paul: pending cases
All pending St. Paul cases assigned to Judge Kishel except the Petters and Polaroid cases and related proceedings will be reassigned to Judge Fisher. The Petters and Polaroid cases will be assigned to Chief Judge Sanberg. No email notice of the reassignments will be sent, but the reassignment will appear on the dockets of each affected case and proceeding.

Case assignment in St. Paul: new chapter 7 and 13 cases
All chapter 7 and 13 cases filed to the St. Paul divisional office will be assigned randomly and approximately equally between Judge Constantine and Judge Fisher.

Case assignment in Duluth pending cases
All pending Duluth cases assigned to Judge Kishel except the Magnetation cases will be reassigned to Judge Kressel. The Magnetation cases will be assigned to Judge Fisher. No email notice of the reassignment will be sent, but the reassignment will appear on the dockets of each affected case and proceeding.

Case assignment in Duluth: new cases
All new cases filed to the Duluth divisional office will be assigned to Judge Kressel.

Chapter 11 and 12 judge assignment in the Twin Cities
Chapter 11 and 12 cases filed to either the Minneapolis or St. Paul divisional office will be randomly assigned among Chief Judge Sanberg and Judges Ridgway, Constantine and Fisher.

Publication Date: 
June 1, 2016