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Courts in Minnesota
| More information on Minnesota's state courts: |
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| Selection methods Elections Salaries Federal courts |
In Minnesota, there is a single federal district court, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.
Click a link for information about that court type.
The image below depicts the flow of cases through Minnesota's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.
Judicial selection process
- See also: Minnesota judicial elections and Judicial selection in Minnesota
Judges in Minnesota participate in nonpartisan elections in even-numbered years.[1]
The state constitution reads that judges “shall be elected by the voters from the area which they are to serve.”[2] Under the Minnesota Constitution, judges' terms begin and end on the first Monday in January following election. Judges serve six-year terms.[3]
Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, click here.
To read more about judicial elections in Minnesota, click here.
Federal courts
The federal district court in Minnesota is the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.
Appeals from these districts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.
Active judges
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 28, 2006 - |
College of St. Scholastica, 1981 |
Harvard Law School, 1985 |
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| September 10, 2018 - |
St. Olaf College |
William Mitchell College of Law |
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| September 13, 2018 - |
Trinity University, 1991 |
University of Minnesota, 1996 |
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| December 21, 2021 - |
University of Chicago |
New York University Law |
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| December 20, 2022 - |
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1984 |
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1987 |
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| November 30, 2023 - |
University of Texas, Austin |
Yale Law School |
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| September 16, 2024 - |
Rhodes Scholar, Oxford University, 2000 |
Yale Law School, 2003 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democratic appointed: 4
- Republican appointed: 3
Bankruptcy courts
There is one federal bankruptcy court in Minnesota. These courts have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy court in Minnesota is:
State supreme court
- See also: Minnesota Supreme Court
Founded in 1858, the Minnesota Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Natalie Hudson. The state supreme court hears appeals from the Minnesota Court of Appeals, Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals, Minnesota Tax Court, Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board and Board of Judicial Standards. The court also takes direct appeals for first degree murder and election contest appeals. Additionally, the supreme court has jurisdiction over the administration of the state's judicial system.[4]
The chief justice is the administrative head of the judicial branch and supervises the work of all courts and the Minnesota judicial council. The state court administrator is appointed by the chief justice and the judicial council. The following positions are also appointed by the court: supreme court commissioner, clerk of the appellate courts, and state law librarian.[5]
The court oversees regulation of the practice of law and it resolves petitions filed by the lawyers for professional responsibility board. It also oversees judicial and lawyer discipline. Finally, the court creates rules and procedures for all courts in the state.[6][7]
The table below lists the current judges of the Minnesota Supreme Court and the appointing governor.
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice | Natalie E. Hudson | Nonpartisan | October 2, 2023 | Tim Walz (D) |
| Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 1 | Sarah E. Hennesy | Nonpartisan | May 13, 2024 | Tim Walz (D) |
| Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 2 | Theodora Gaïtas | Nonpartisan | August 1, 2024 | Tim Walz (D) |
| Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 3 | Gordon Moore | Nonpartisan | August 3, 2020 | Tim Walz (D) |
| Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 4 | Paul Thissen | Nonpartisan | 2018 | Mark Dayton (D) |
| Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 5 | Anne K. McKeig | Nonpartisan | September 15, 2016 | Mark Dayton (D) |
| Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 6 | Karl Procaccini | Nonpartisan | October 2, 2023 | Tim Walz (D) |
State court of appeals
- See also: Minnesota Court of Appeals
The Minnesota Court of Appeals, created in 1983, is the intermediate appellate court in Minnesota and was designed to lessen the volume of cases that go to the Minnesota Supreme Court.[8]
The Court of Appeals reviews decisions of the trial courts, state agencies, and local governments. Exceptions to this, which go directly to the Minnesota Supreme Court, are appeals from the Minnesota Tax Court, the Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals, first-degree murder cases and statewide election contests.[8][9]
Typically 2,000 to 2,400 cases are filed with the Court of Appeals each year. The Minnesota Supreme Court eventually hears about 5 percent of them.[8]
According to the court's information office, "By law, the court must issue a decision within 90 days after oral arguments. If no oral argument is held, a decision is due within 90 days of the case's scheduled conference date. This deadline is the shortest imposed on any appellate court in the nation. The court expedites decisions on child custody cases, mental health commitments and other matters in which the parties request accelerated response."[8][10]
Justices
According to the court's information office, "the court's 19 judges sit in three-judge panels and travel to locations throughout Minnesota to hear oral arguments, which are open to the public."[10] They serve six-year terms.[2]
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
2018 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
|
|
January 1, 2008 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
|
|
May 1, 2020 - Present |
Tim Walz |
|
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March 18, 2024 - Present |
Tim Walz |
|
|
January 1, 2008 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
|
|
2014 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
|
|
February 23, 2006 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
|
|
July 1, 2022 - Present |
Tim Walz |
|
|
2018 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
|
|
2016 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
|
|
2008 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
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September 11, 2023 - Present |
Tim Walz |
|
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January 3, 2025 - Present |
Tim Walz |
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|
2005 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
|
|
2008 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
|
|
2016 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
|
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December 1, 2021 - Present |
Tim Walz |
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September 5, 2023 - Present |
Tim Walz |
|
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August 1, 2024 - Present |
Tim Walz |
Trial courts
District courts
- See also: Minnesota District Courts
The Minnesota District Court System handles criminal, civil, and family cases in each of Minnesota's 87 counties. The counties are divided into ten judicial districts. In 2008, the combined district court system heard about two million cases.[11]
Section 3 of Article VI of the Minnesota Constitution defines the scope of the cases heard in Minnesota's district courts, saying, "The district court has original jurisdiction in all civil and criminal cases and shall have appellate jurisdiction as prescribed by law."
As of 2023, there were 296 District Court judges in Minnesota's district court system. These judges hear cases ranging from first-degree murder trials to civil and family conflicts to traffic tickets and citations. Some of the district courts are divided into departments, such as criminal, civil, probate, family, and juvenile departments.[11][12]
Each of the ten judicial districts in the district court system is managed by a chief judge with the help of an assistant chief judge and a judicial district administrator.[11]
In other states
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Judicial Selection in the States", accessed March 8, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Minnesota Legislature, "Minnesota Constitution Article VI, Section 7," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Minnesota Legislature, "Minnesota Constitution Article VII, Section 7," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Overview: Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed October 8, 2015
- ↑ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State,"State Judiciary," accessed June 19, 2024
- ↑ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State,"State Judiciary," accessed June 19, 2024
- ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch,"Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed June 19, 2024
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Court of Appeals," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmurder - ↑ 10.0 10.1 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "The Minnesota Court of Appeals," February 27, 2008
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "District Courts," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch, "About the Courts", accessed March 27, 2023
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Minnesota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Minnesota
State courts:
Minnesota Supreme Court • Minnesota Court of Appeals • Minnesota District Courts • Minnesota Problem-Solving Courts • Minnesota Tax Court • Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals
State resources:
Courts in Minnesota • Minnesota judicial elections • Judicial selection in Minnesota
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