Judicial candidate: Pete Marker

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Pete Marker

Age: 45

Family: Married; two daughters.

Hometown: Marine on St. Croix.

Education: University of Minnesota School of Law; Indiana University.

Work experience: YMCA Youth Outreach Program director; associate attorney at Briggs and Morgan; assistant attorney general, division manager, Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

1. What makes you the best candidate?

Experience, the ability to be impartial, and judicial temperament. I have tried literally hundreds of cases in the tenth judicial district. I've also handled 75 cases before the Minnesota Court of Appeals and 12 cases before the Minnesota Supreme Court. I have managed both civil and criminal divisions at the Attorney General's Office. My campaign is nonpartisan, and I am professionally endorsed by the Minnesota Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers and many nonpartisan county attorneys across the state. I am respected in the district as hardworking, decisive, thoughtful and knowledgeable. With these qualities, I am ready to take the bench.

2. How would you as a judge suggest the court system respond to limited or reduced state funding?

Because of budget issues, district court dockets are very crowded. Good district court judges have the ability to mitigate budget issues by getting through calendars without postponing cases, dispensing with frivolous claims, and working hard to keep up with matters under advisement. Judges must be good managers of time, people and resources. I have managed several divisions at the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. I currently manage the Public Safety Division, which handles over 5,000 cases per year in district courts across the state. We are in numerous district courts every working day. This experience will help me be an efficient and effective judge.

3. Do you believe judicial candidates should be allowed to discuss political views and be involved in non-judicial politics?

One of the most important functions of a district court judge is to do everything that he or she can to build and maintain the public's confidence in the judiciary. This includes not only being impartial in carrying out judicial functions, but also maintaining the public's perception of judicial impartiality. The infusion of partisanship into elections and the involvement of judges in partisan or political activities threatens this principle. District court judges must apply the law without a political or ideological agenda. As a district court judge, I would be cautious to not be involved in anything that would undermine the public's confidence in my ability to be an impartial judge.