Commission on Judicial Selection Recommends Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals Candidates to Governor Walz

ST. PAUL, MN - The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that it is recommending two candidates for consideration to fill a vacancy on the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals. This vacancy will occur in January 2025.

Janis Douglass: Janis Douglass is a compensation attorney principal at the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals, where she assists in the resolution of workers’ compensation appeals. She also serves as a deputy court administrator, where she manages day-to-day court operations. Douglass currently volunteers her time to efforts that support the rights of gender nonconforming youth and to initiatives that increase diversity in the legal profession and in state employment. Her community involvement has included service on the boards of several nonprofit community organizations in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood.

Sean Quinn: Sean Quinn is a judge on the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals. He was previously a partner at Falsani, Balmer, Peterson & Quinn in Duluth, representing injured and disabled people in workers’ compensation, personal injury, long-term disability, and social security disability claims. As a practicing attorney, Quinn was an active provider of pro bono services in northeast Minnesota, including serving as the chair of the board of the Volunteer Attorney Program. His community involvement has included coaching youth sports and the University of Minnesota Duluth mock trial team and teaching community education classes. He is a frequent lecturer at local high schools through the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Lawyers in the Classroom program and has given many continuing legal education presentations on a variety of workers’ compensation topics.

For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.