Judge Cork was appointed to the First Judicial District Bench in August 2016, where she
presides over a variety of cases including criminal, civil, juvenile, probate, and family cases.
Judge Cork chairs the Juvenile Protection Rules Committee, she is a member of the State Tribal
Partnership Committee, an active member of the First District Equal Justice Committee,
Minnesota Children’s Justice Initiative (CJI), CJI Indian Child Welfare Act training faculty and
subcommittee, and a former Board of Director for the National Council of Juvenile and Family
Court Judges. She is a member of the National Asian Pacific Bar Association, Minnesota Asian
Pacific Bar Association, Japanese American Bar Association, and Twin Cities Japanese
American Citizens League.
Judge Cork is a former Assistant Hennepin County Attorney where she worked for over 18
years in the Child Protection Division. She specialized in Indian Child Welfare Act and Sexually
Exploited Youth cases, including traditional child protection, long term foster care, educational
neglect, runaway, sexually exploited youth, Rule 20 incompetent delinquent, and truancy cases.
Judge Cork worked with Indian tribes and communities to assure that families and children were
able to obtain culturally appropriate education and services.
Judge Cork is an adjunct professor at The University of Minnesota School of Law teaching Law
and Policy of Human Trafficking. She further educates through local, state, national and
international presentations to judges, attorneys, law enforcement, human services, advocates,
public health workers and medical personnel regarding Human Trafficking. Judge Cork
received her juris doctor in 1998 from Hamline University School of Law with concentration in
criminal law and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. Prior to law school she
worked as a law enforcement officer, a correctional officer, a group home counselor and a 911
dispatcher