Kevin J. Kolosky

Born: Dec. 7, 1952; Redwood Falls, Minn.

Education:

• J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, 1994
• B.S., Minnesota State University Mankato, 1982

• Private practice, attorney, 1994-present

• Hennepin County Bar Association
• Minnesota State Bar Association

• Extensive volunteer work in the family law area representing poor and disadvantaged people

Personal: Wife, Linda

Why do you want to be a judge?
I believe that I possess qualities that would benefit philosophical diversity on the 4th District Court bench. I desire to actively participate in preserving and protecting our federal and state constitutions. I desire to serve my fellow citizens. I desire to have an opportunity to earn respect for the work I do. And I consider a seat on the District Court bench a pinnacle in my legal career.

Why should voters select you rather than your opponent in the upcoming election?
My opponent has been sufficient in his judicial service, and as a citizen I commend and thank him for that service. However, I believe that one of the things that has made our state and country great is the peaceful but constant turnover of elected officials, including judges. I believe that the people of Hennepin County will benefit from my service just as they have benefited from my opponent's service.

What experience have you had in dealing with the court on which you wish to sit?
I have appeared in civil, criminal and family court cases in Hennepin County District Court.

What are the major issues facing the court on which you wish to serve?
The Hennepin County District Court serves a very large and very diverse population base. The challenge is, and always will be, to provide fair and efficient service to the ever-increasing number of people and entities that come before the court to have their disputes settled.

How can these realistically be addressed?
Fair means to provide adequate services for those who do not understand the court system and those who cannot afford legal representation. Continued expansion of self-help centers with adequate interpreters and support staff would be a goal. I still believe that Hennepin County should institute a night court for those who have extreme difficulty in making it to court during the daytime hours. Efficient means to provide service at a reasonable cost to the taxpayers. This can be done by making the most efficient use of the facilities, equipment and personnel that are available.

Do you believe it is good policy to discuss disputed legal and political issues during a judicial campaign? If so, what issues do you plan to discuss and why? If not, why shouldn't such issues be discussed?
I now strongly believe that citizens have a right, and in fact a duty, to demand sufficient knowledge about judicial candidates in order to make an informed voting decision. I also believe that each judicial candidate must be morally and socially responsible for tempering their campaign activities in order to avoid leaving the public with false impressions or the appearance of political promises. I will carefully consider and discuss legal and political issues that legitimate voters bring to my attention. However, I do not plan on focusing upon a particular legal or political issue as a foundation for my campaign.

Recent court decisions allow judicial candidates to seek and use endorsements from political parties. To what extent, if any, should partisan politics play a part in judicial campaigns in Minnesota?
I covet an endorsement from any political party. I would caution those naysayers who would scream from the mountaintop that because a political party endorsed me there might be something sinister taking place in a smoke-filled back room. To distrust a judicial candidate before the candidate has done anything wrong is akin to instructing a jury to presume a person is guilty until proven innocent, or to a statute preventing former legislators and county attorneys from serving as judges. Political parties can endorse judicial candidates for nonpolitical reasons. It is and always will be the judicial candidate's duty to remain nonpartisan.

What else, if anything, would you like the voters to know about your candidacy that you have not discussed so far?
I will request a family court assignment because I am well suited to that arena. I believe that it is a violation of equal protection of the law to print the word "incumbent" adjacent to an incumbent judge's name on the ballot. To allow this atrocity to continue is a blatant case of the fox guarding the chicken coop. During my legal career it has always been my policy that my clients are entitled to fair and competent representation without regard to race, color, creed, or in many cases, the ability to pay. I have at least three or more volunteer cases on my desk at all times.