The Minnesota Department of Human Services has named Nikki Farago (’07) the deputy assistant commissioner of its Children and Family Services (CFS) program. CFS is responsible for adoption, foster care, child care, child support, adolescent services, public assistance, child protection, refugee resettlement, economic opportunities, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. As an attorney with a background in tribal law and child welfare issues, Farago will provide strategic direction and oversight in a number of these areas.

Heather Abraham (’12) has been awarded a two-year postgraduate fellowship through Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit organization whose mission is “mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice.” Abraham will spend the term of her fellowship at Legal Services of Northern Michigan, in Traverse City, representing homeless adults and low-income renters at imminent risk of homelessness.

Governor Mark Dayton has appointed University of Minnesota Law School Professor Mark Kappelhoff to serve as a judge in Minnesota’s 4th Judicial District. The district, encompassing Hennepin County, is the state’s largest trial court. In appointing Kappelhoff, Dayton praised his “deep commitment to justice and public service.”

President Obama has nominated Beth M. Andrus (’88) to serve on the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. Andrus is currently a judge in Washington state’s King County Superior Court, a position she has held since 2010.

University President Eric Kaler’s office has announced that six third-year Law School students—Drew Glasnovich, Kyle Kroll, Katarina Lee, Chelsea Lemke, Allison Rochford, and Marc Shinn-Krantz—are among the winners of the 2016 President’s Student Leadership and Service Award (PSLSA). The award is presented to approximately one half of one percent of the student body for their exceptional leadership and service to the University of Minnesota and the surrounding community. Honorees will be recognized at a Homecoming Week banquet in October.

The Association of American Law Schools’ Section on Clinical Legal Education has selected Professor Perry Moriearty as the recipient of its 2016 Shanara Gilbert Award.

Carl Auerbach, who served as dean of the Law School from 1972-79 and was the driving force behind the building of Mondale Hall, passed away on April 6 in La Jolla, Calif., after a short illness. He was 100 years old.

The University of Minnesota Law School made a strong showing in the prestigious law journal rankings recently released by Washington and Lee University School of Law. The rankings, which encompass more than 1,500 journals, consider articles published in the preceding eight years and how many times they have been cited in other journal articles or in federal and state court cases.