An assistant public defender in the Seventh Judicial District will become a judge in Long Prairie. Governor Tim Walz has appointed Heidi Hovis as a District Court judge in Todd County. She will replace Judge Daniel Benson, who is retiring. Hovis has also worked as an adjunct professor at North Hennepin Community College and previously worked as a staff attorney with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and as a senior associate general counsel at the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. Minnesota's Seventh Judicial District covers Becker County, Benton County, Clay County, Douglas County, Mille Lacs County, Morrison County, Otter Tail County, Stearns County, Todd County, and Wadena County.