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MINNEAPOLIS — Gov. Tim Walz used his first appointment to the Minnesota Supreme Court on Friday to elevate Gordon Moore, a district judge from southwestern Minnesota, to replace the retiring Associate Justice David Lillehaug.

Moore, 57, currently serves in Worthington in Nobles County, where he has lived for about 25 years. He was previously the county’s chief prosecutor. He has also worked in private practice and served an assistant attorney general under Hubert Humphrey III. He grew up in Rochester, graduated from Mayo High School, got his bachelor’s degree at Carleton College in Northfield, met his wife and got married in Mankato, and got his law degree from the University of Iowa.

Walz called Moore “a man with a strong moral compass, a deep sense of compassion and a thoughtful and diligent mind.”

Moore pledged “to work hard with the goal of securing impartial justice for all Minnesotans.”

The three other finalists were MInnesota Court of Appeals Judges Diane Bratvold and Jeffrey Bryan, and Chief Deputy Attorney General John Keller. Walz said his desire to bring some geographical diversity to the state’s highest court was a factor in his decision.

Walz said Moore will likely be sworn in Aug. 1.