Friday, March 29, 2024
Photo by Karen M. Jorgensen Among those congratulating Jodi Williamson on her retirement was Monica Gowan, the daughter of Olmsted County District Judge John Gowan, who served as a mentor to Williamson throughout her career.Photo by Karen M. Jorgensen Debra Groehler will be stepping into the role of Dodge County District Court Judge this Friday as she is sworn in at the Dodge County Courthouse.Photo by Karen M. Jorgensen Among those speaking at the retirement reception for Dodge County District Court Judge Jodi Williamson, left, was Steele County District Court Judge Joseph A. Bueltel, currently the Chief Judge for the Third Judicial District. Center is Third District Administrator Shelley Ellefson.

Williamson retires from Dodge County District Court bench

It was a bittersweet event at the Dodge County Government Center in Mantorville last week as friends and colleagues gathered to give their best wishes to Jodi Williams, the District Court judge for Dodge County, as she began her retirement. Friday, at exactly 4:30 p.m., Williamson said, was when her retirement officially began.

The retirement reception also included a variety
of mostly light comments from those who have worked with her.

“I learned so much from Judge Williamson,” Current Third Judicial District Court Judge Joseph A. Bueltel told the crowd in the County Board meeting room in Mantorville. Williamson had earlier served a term as the chief judge.

It was a “joy to get to know her,” he added.

Williamson was appointed to the Third District Bench in 2000 by Gov. Jesse Ventural. Bueltel recalled that at her appointment Ventura referred to Williamson as his “first girl judge” appointment. She served as a judge in Olmsted County until 2013 when she transferred to Dodge County.
At that time, Bueltel said, there were only two or three women judges and now the majority of judges are women.

During her years on the bench, Bueltel said, Williamson also served on the panel that did the most recent
redistricting of the legislature and also how she is a studious judge who “likes to read things and study.”

One of the most important things about being a judge, Bueltel said, is that she can retire and be called a “senior judge.” That also means she can be called on to serve when a judge is needed.

Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose told the crowd that when she arrived in Mantorville from Olmsted County the officials just “didn’t know what to expect.”

What they learned, he said, was that “she just embraced everything here.” She also was instrumental in seeing that when the courtroom was redesigned it was done to reflect the way it looked in the oldest picture that could be found, dated in 1905.

Rose said that as a new sheriff he had meetings with her every month, and they became friends.

He also learned, he laughed, that courtroom decorum was important to Williamson and “that look can cause high blood pressure and anxiety.”

But what may have seemed intimidating at first, he said, turned into respect.

“It’s really all about respect and trust,” Rose said.

The trust and respect has been two ways, Williamson responded. Dodge County is a community, she said. She added she even “likes the county administrator and the County Board and “no judge says that.”

Among those attending the reception was Monica Gowan. Her father, Olmsted County Judge John Gowan, had been a mentor to Williamson and he had first hired her when he was a lawyer in Olmsted County.

Williamson said her first plans for her retirement are doing some traveling in the next several months before deciding on what she will do next.

She said she would be back in Dodge County this Friday to attend the investiture of the next District Court judge for the county, Debra Groehler.

Photo: Photo by Karen M. Jorgensen Dodge County District Court Judge Jodi Williamson retired last Friday after serving as a Third Judicial District judge since 2000 and as the Dodge County judge since 2013.

 

 

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