Court of Administrative Hearings - Newly Appointed Chief Judge and Deputy Chief Judge

The Court of Administrative Hearings is pleased to announce that Chief Administrative Law Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig assumed her new role leading the court on December 31, 2025. Chief Judge Palmer-Denig has appointed Judge Veronica Walther, formerly an Assistant Chief Workers’ Compensation Judge, to serve as the court’s Deputy Chief Judge.

The Court of Administrative Hearings thanks Interim Chief Judge Tim O’Malley for providing steady and thoughtful leadership to the court during its recent transition period. The court also thanks Judge Adam Wolkoff for his service as Deputy Chief Judge from 2017 until 2025. Judge Wolkoff previously served as a Workers’ Compensation Judge and will continue to serve the court in that role going forward.

Chief Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig became an Administrative Law Judge with the Court of Administrative Hearings in 2016 and she was serving as an Assistant Chief Administrative Law Judge at the time of her appointment as chief judge by Governor Tim Walz.

Prior to joining the Court of Administrative Hearings, Chief Judge Palmer-Denig was a trial attorney at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an Assistant Attorney General and Division Manager in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, and an associate at the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP. Chief Judge Palmer-Denig also completed judicial clerkships for Justice Mary Muehlen Maring of the North Dakota Supreme Court and the Honorable Donovan W. Frank of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Chief Judge Palmer-Denig is highly regarded for her significant litigation and judicial experience, extensive background in alternative dispute resolution, and her commitment to providing due process to Minnesotans. She is also known for serving the legal profession and the public through leadership posts in the Ramsey County Bar Foundation and Ramsey County Bar Association, and for her work to promote youth civics education for students in Ramsey County.

She earned a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin School of Law. Outside of the office, Chief Judge Palmer-Denig enjoys spending time with her family and is an amateur silversmith.

Deputy Chief Judge Veronica Walther joined the Court of Administrative Hearings as an Assistant Chief Workers’ Compensation Judge in 2023.

Previously, Judge Walther practiced primarily in the areas of workers’ compensation and immigration law. She led her firm, Walther Goss Law, for nearly twelve years, worked as an associate at Chestnut Cambronne PA, and also worked as a union representative.

Judge Walther’s extensive litigation experience, abilities as a pragmatic problem solver, and collaborative communication style have benefitted the Court of Administrative Hearings. Since joining the bench, she has forged valuable relationships within the court and with external stakeholders, and her strong judicial skills, abilities as a bilingual mediator, and thoughtful leadership are highly regarded.

Judge Walther is committed to serving all Minnesotans, including through volunteer work. As a practicing attorney, she provided countless hours of pro bono legal services and helped establish two legal aid clinics. She now joins other judges to lead a weekly support group for formerly incarcerated women.

Judge Walther earned a B.A. from Memorial University of Newfoundland and obtained her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. She enjoys gardening, live music, and spending time outdoors with her two rescue dogs. Originally from Colombia, Judge Walther is a native Spanish speaker.