Our View: Court reform finds an unexpected ally
St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin: We shouldn’t need the laws; we already have an ethical responsibility. . I realize there are flaws in the system. Our duty is to do justice, not just to convict. And if we convict an innocent person, we have not done justice.”
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News Tribune Editorial Board | 11:00 am, Feb. 2, 2021 ×
Though not often, it does happen: a suspect in jail awaiting trial comes forward claiming another inmate confessed or shared damning information and asks what sort of consideration he can get on his own case in exchange for the information; and then, when the deal is made and the cellmate is convicted, it’s later learned the information was bogus and someone innocent was found guilty.
While attorneys will revisit the plea agreement, there is still "essentially no possibility" that Rodney Scandin Jr. will go to prison for the crash that permanently altered the lives of a local family.
Judgeships open in Northeastern Minnesota
Both Duluth and the Iron Range are expected to see new judges appointed by Gov. Tim Walz in the coming months.
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The St. Louis County Courthouse in Duluth. (File / News Tribune)
The Minnesota Judicial Selection Commission is fielding applications for two judgeships to be filled in St. Louis County.
The vacancies are due to the recent resignation of Judge Shaun Floerke, of Duluth, and the upcoming retirement of Judge Mark Starr, of Hibbing.
The commission is accepting applications through Feb. 22 and plans to conduct interviews March 23. Members typically select several finalists, who are then forwarded to Gov. Tim Walz. Governors are not bound by the recommendations, but almost always select from the list.
Authorities have identified the man who died Friday during an officer involved shooting incident in Saginaw as 34-year-old Scott Michael Jordon of Duluth.
The stateâs top law enforcement agency has completed its investigation into the fatal shooting of Estavon Dominick Elioff in December in Mountain Iron by two sheriffâs deputies and started handing over findings to the St. Louis County Attorneyâs Office for review.
The turning over of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehensionâs findings was confirmed Wednesday morning. The investigation remains open during the review and the details are not made public per state law, said BCA spokeswoman Jill Oliveira.
Elioff, 19, a Hispanic and white man from Virginia, was fatally shot while allegedly fleeing from sheriffâs deputies Ryan Smith and Matt Tomsich, who are white, in the Mountain Iron woods last month.