Hon. Krista Jass

Krista Jass is a judge serving the Fifth Judicial District of Minnesota. She was appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty in December 2010 and subsequently elected unopposed in 2012. Jass earned her undergraduate degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1990 and her J.D. from Hamline University School of Law in 1993. She began her legal career as a law clerk for the Fifth Judicial District, then served as an assistant public defender, managing attorney, and ultimately Chief Public Defender before ascending to the bench. Her professional affiliations include the Minnesota State Bar Association, Sixth District Bar Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers for the South Central Area, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and several community and correctional boards. Jass’s practice areas encompass criminal defense and public defense, and she has contributed to the development of drug courts and family dependency treatment courts in Blue Earth County.