AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS:
Congratulations to Nicole Starr Kubista
Nicole (Nikki) Starr has been appointed by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to serve as a judge in the state's Second Judicial District. Her appointment fills one of two vacancies on the bench created when Judges Paulette Flynn and Gregg Johnson retired earlier this year. The Second Judicial District, with 29 judges, 4 referees, and 2 magistrates, encompasses all of Ramsey County and includes the capital city of St. Paul. In making the appointment, the governor called Starr "extremely accomplished" and praised her "exemplary commitment to public service."
Starr is an assistant public defender in the Second Judicial District Public Defender's Office, where she specializes in forensic science. She is also of counsel at the Hellmuth & Johnson law firm, based in Edina. She previously served as a law clerk with Judge Katherian Roe in Minnesota's Fourth Judicial District and with Justice Zakeria Mohammed Yacoob in the Constitutional Court of South Africa.
Starr is a former president and current executive board member of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association and a member of the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association. She has received the William E. Falvey Excellence Award for commitment and service to the indigent of Ramsey County.