Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton on Monday announced he has appointed U.S. Navy Capt. Ross Leuning of Owatonna as the new judge for the 3rd Judicial District, which will primarily serve Freeborn County.

Leuning, 50, is currently serving as the command judge advocate for the U.S. Navy at the Al Asad air base in Iraq. He is expected to return to the area and be sworn-in sometime in late July.

Leuning was one of four finalists recommended to the governor by the state’s Commission on Judicial Selection in April.

The other three finalists were Assistant Steele County Attorney Jennifer Dunn-Foster, Austin lawyer Jeffrey Kritzer and Albert Lea lawyer Kevin Seifken.

Leuning will replace former Freeborn County District Court Judge John A. Chesterman, who retired in January.

“I am proud that Capt. Ross Leuning is my first judicial appointment, as he exemplifies the outstanding caliber of person I will seek for these important positions,” Dayton said in a news release. “Capt. Leuning is presently serving our country and the cause of freedom in Iraq, where his military judicial experience further qualifies him for assuming those responsibilities on the 3rd District Court.”

In addition to his service in the U.S. Navy, Leuning has worked as senior assistant Olmsted County attorney. Prior to that, he was a partner at the law firm of Walbran, Furness & Leuning.

He has been practicing law for 25 years.

“I’m very, very excited about it,” Leuning said Monday via phone from Iraq. “I know being a district court judge is a lot of work, and it’s a real challenge, but just about any job out there is a lot of work. I’m looking forward to it.”

The governor interviewed Leuning via Skype for the position.

Leuning said he plans to commute from Owatonna to Albert Lea for the first year as his youngest daughter has a year left of high school. After she graduates, he and his wife will start looking to move to the area.

He said he looks forward to coming to Albert Lea and noted that when he was in private practice, it was always a pleasure for him to have a case in Freeborn County.

“I will certainly like working there on a daily basis,” Leuning added. “I look forward to that and look forward to knowing the community of Albert Lea a lot better.”

Leuning is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Oregon, along with the Minnesota Federal District Court and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also certified as a general court-martial judge for the Navy and Marine Corps.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Dakota in 1983 and Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1986.

Some of his community involvement includes six years on the Owatonna Library Board, seven years on the Owatonna Library Foundation, six years on the Owatonna Human Rights Commission and four years on the Owatonna Healthy Seniors Board, among others.

He is married to his wife, Francy, formerly of Palo Alto, Calif. They have four daughters and two sons.

Leuning thanked the governor’s office for their accommodations in allowing him to conduct his interview over Skype.

The 3rd District serves Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca and Winona counties.