Pawlenty picks three more trial judges

12/16/2006

Associated Press
Last update: December 15, 2006 – 4:13 PM


A prosecutor and two private attorneys joined the ranks of Minnesota judges Friday as Gov. Tim Pawlenty increased his imprint on the trial courts to four-dozen selections.


All three new judges will take their district court posts in central Minnesota.


Conrad Freeberg, the longtime chief prosecutor for Morrison County, will be chambered in Little Falls. He has been the top prosecutor there since 1987 and didn't seek re-election this fall. Born in Red Wing, Freeberg has worked in various law jobs since 1977.


Frederick Grunke moves from a law firm in St. Cloud to the Stearns County bench. Born in Wisconsin but raised in St. Paul, Grunke began his legal career as a law clerk in St. Cloud in 1978. He is a shareholder in the Rajkowski Hansmeier Ltd. law firm.


He'll be joined on the Stearns County bench by Frank Kundrat, who ran his own firm in St. Cloud. Besides his private work, he served as city attorney for Clear Lake, Clearwater, Dassel, Deerwood and Ironton. After earning a law degree in his native Cleveland, Kundrat has held various jobs in municipal law and private practice.