Minnesota Court of Appeals | |||
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Court information | |||
Judges: | 19 | ||
Founded: | 1983 | ||
Salary: | Associates: $180,313[1] | ||
Judicial selection | |||
Method: | Nonpartisan election of judges | ||
Term: | 6 years |
The Minnesota Court of Appeals, created in 1983, is the intermediate appellate court in Minnesota and was designed to relieve the volume of cases that go to the Minnesota Supreme Court.[2]
It is the responsibility of the Court of Appeals to provide citizens with prompt and deliberate review of all final 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.[2]
The Court of Appeals' decisions are the final ruling in about 95 percent of the 2,000 to 2,400 appeals filed every year. Typically, approximately 5 percent of the court's decisions are accepted by the Minnesota Supreme Court for further review.
Each judge participates in roughly 300 cases each year. The judges also share responsibility for hundreds of special term opinions and orders on motions and petitions filed with the court. The Court of Appeals issues a published, unpublished or order opinion on each case it considers.
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.[2][3]
As part of the court's effort to expedite justice and to make access to the appellate system less burdensome and expensive, 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. They serve six-year terms.[4]
Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
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2014 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
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2014 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
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July 1, 2022 - Present |
Tim Walz |
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December 1, 2021 - Present |
Tim Walz |
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May 1, 2020 - Present |
Tim Walz |
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August 22, 2020 - Present |
Tim Walz |
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January 1, 2008 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
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2008 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
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2008 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
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January 1, 2008 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
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2005 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
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February 23, 2006 - Present |
Tim Pawlenty |
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2018 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
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2018 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
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2016 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
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2016 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
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2016 - Present |
Mark Dayton |
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November 25, 2019 - Present |
Tim Walz |
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November 25, 2019 - Present |
Tim Walz |
Judges of the court of appeals are elected in nonpartisan elections. Incumbents serve six-year terms and must be re-elected to continue serving. The governor appoints interim judges as necessary; interim incumbents who wish to serve another term must run in the next election that takes place more than a year after appointment.[5]
To serve on the court of appeals, a judge must be:
In 2022, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $180,313, according to the National Center for State Courts.[7]
The terms of 10 Minnesota intermediate appellate court judges will expire on January 2, 2023. The 10 seats are up for nonpartisan election on November 8, 2022.
■ Michelle Ann Larkin
■ Theodora Gaïtas
■ Denise D. Reilly
■ Louise Bjorkman
■ Peter M. Reyes, Jr.
■ Matthew Johnson
■ Francis Connolly
■ Jennifer Frisch
■ Susan Segal
■ Jeffrey M. Bryan
Incumbent Theodora Gaïtas is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Theodora Gaïtas (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Theodora Gaïtas advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Incumbent Louise Dovre Bjorkman is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Louise Dovre Bjorkman (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Louise Dovre Bjorkman advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Incumbent Susan Segal is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Susan Segal (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Susan Segal advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Incumbent Denise D. Reilly is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Denise D. Reilly (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Denise D. Reilly advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Incumbent Jennifer Frisch is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Jennifer Frisch (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jennifer Frisch advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Incumbent Michelle Ann Larkin is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Michelle Ann Larkin (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Michelle Ann Larkin advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Incumbent Peter M. Reyes Jr. is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Peter M. Reyes Jr. (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Peter M. Reyes Jr. advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Incumbent Matthew Johnson is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Matthew Johnson (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Matthew Johnson advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Incumbent Jeffrey M. Bryan is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Jeffrey M. Bryan (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jeffrey M. Bryan advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Incumbent Francis J. Connolly is running in the general election for Minnesota Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
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Francis J. Connolly (Nonpartisan) |
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The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Francis J. Connolly advanced from the primary for Minnesota Court of Appeals.
The terms of four Minnesota Court of Appeals justices expired on January 4, 2021. The four seats were up for nonpartisan election on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for August 11, 2020. A full term on the court is six years.
■ Jeanne Cochran
■ Carol A. Hooten
■ Kevin Ross
■ Randall Slieter
The terms of six Minnesota Court of Appeals judges expired on January 7, 2019. All stood for nonpartisan election by voters in 2018 in order to remain on the bench. A full term on the court is six years.
■ Louise Bjorkman (Incumbent/Unopposed)
■ Denise D. Reilly (Incumbent/Unopposed)
■ Michelle Ann Larkin (Incumbent/Unopposed)
■ Randolph Peterson (Incumbent/Unopposed)
■ Lawrence Stauber (Incumbent/Unopposed)
■ Peter M. Reyes, Jr. (Incumbent/Unopposed)
■ Matthew Johnson (Incumbent/Unopposed)
■Heidi Schellhas (Incumbent/Unopposed)
■ Francis Connolly (Incumbent/Unopposed)
Incumbent Louise Bjorkman ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 5 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 5, 2016 | ||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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98.91% | 1,704,673 |
Write-in votes | 1.09% | 18,790 |
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,723,463 | |
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
Incumbent Denise D. Reilly ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 8 on the Minnesota Court of appeals.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 8, 2016 | ||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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99.01% | 1,679,432 |
Write-in votes | 0.99% | 16,847 |
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,696,279 | |
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
Incumbent Michelle Ann Larkin ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 11 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 11, 2016 | ||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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99.05% | 1,673,976 |
Write-in votes | 0.95% | 16,043 |
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,690,019 | |
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
Incumbent Randolph Peterson ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 13 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 13, 2016 | ||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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99.03% | 1,655,611 |
Write-in votes | 0.97% | 16,225 |
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,671,836 | |
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
Incumbent Lawrence Stauber ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 14 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 14, 2016 | ||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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99.03% | 1,648,207 |
Write-in votes | 0.97% | 16,156 |
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,664,363 | |
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
Incumbent Peter M. Reyes, Jr. ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 16 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 16, 2016 | ||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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99.07% | 1,639,561 |
Write-in votes | 0.93% | 15,308 |
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,654,869 | |
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
Incumbent Matthew Johnson ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 17 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 17, 2016 | ||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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99.08% | 1,640,174 |
Write-in votes | 0.92% | 15,226 |
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,655,400 | |
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
Incumbent Heidi Schellhas ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 18 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 18, 2016 | ||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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99.09% | 1,635,569 |
Write-in votes | 0.91% | 14,981 |
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,650,550 | |
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
Incumbent Francis Connolly ran unopposed in the general election for Seat 19 on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Minnesota Court of Appeals, Seat 19, 2016 | ||
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Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
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99.09% | 1,632,466 |
Write-in votes | 0.91% | 14,915 |
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) | 1,647,381 | |
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State |
The following candidates were elected or re-elected after running unopposed in the general election.
Court | Candidate |
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Click the arrows in the column headings to sort columns alphabetically. | |
Court of Appeals | Carol A. Hooten |
Court of Appeals | Edward J. Cleary |
Court of Appeals | John P. Smith |
Court of Appeals | John R. Rodenberg |
Court of Appeals | Kevin Ross (Minnesota) |
Court of Appeals | Margaret Chutich |
Court of Appeals | Michael Kirk |
Candidate | Incumbency | Place | Primary Vote | Election Vote |
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Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks ![]() | Yes | 99.03% ![]() | ||
Renee Worke ![]() | Yes | Seat 6 | 98.98% ![]() |
Out of the 10 seats up for election on the Minnesota Court of Appeals, only two were contested.
District | Candidates | Details | Results |
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Minnesota Court of Appeals | Randolph Peterson and Roxann Klugman | Randolph Peterson ran for re-election. | Randolph Peterson won with 56.6 percent of the vote. |
Minnesota Court of Appeals | Lawrence Stauber and Dan Griffith | Lawrence Stauber ran for re-election. | Lawrence Stauber won with 51.7 percent of the vote. |
These judges ran unopposed for re-election:
The Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Minnesota. It is composed of four canons:
The full text of the Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.
Judges in Minnesota may be removed in one of three ways:
• Minnesota appellate court reverses dismissal in drug case (2015) | Click for summary→ |
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Adam Alvarado was stopped by police on October 13, 2013. A search of his body by cops revealed three Fentanyl patches, which are used to treat chronic pain, and 29 grams of marijuana in a baggie in his pocket. The police then searched his car, finding 17.5 grams of methamphetamines. Alvarado was charged with fifth-degree drug possession. He filed a motion to suppress the evidence resulting from the searches conducted by the police.
Judge Jennifer Fischer agreed with Alvarado and granted his motion. Fischer made her ruling after finding that the warrantless search by law enforcement was done illegally as no exception to the requirement for a warrant was present. The state subsequently dismissed the case, as its key evidence for trial was suppressed. The prosecutor on the case, however, appealed Judge Fischer's ruling to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. That court reversed Judge Fischer. Judge Renee Worke wrote for the court. She said that Judge Fischer was incorrect when she found no exception to the warrant requirement in Alvarado's case. Worke said that the automobile exception existed. Further, law enforcement had probable cause to conduct the search. As a result, suppression of the drug evidence was inappropriate. The Court of Appeals remanded the case back to the Kandiyohi County District Court for trial, which has been set for June. Articles: |
Demographic data for Minnesota | ||
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Minnesota | U.S. | |
Total population: | 5,482,435 | 316,515,021 |
Land area (sq mi): | 79,627 | 3,531,905 |
Race and ethnicity** | ||
White: | 84.8% | 73.6% |
Black/African American: | 5.5% | 12.6% |
Asian: | 4.4% | 5.1% |
Native American: | 1% | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
Two or more: | 2.7% | 3% |
Hispanic/Latino: | 5% | 17.1% |
Education | ||
High school graduation rate: | 92.4% | 86.7% |
College graduation rate: | 33.7% | 29.8% |
Income | ||
Median household income: | $61,492 | $53,889 |
Persons below poverty level: | 12.2% | 11.3% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Minnesota. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. |
Minnesota voted for the Democratic candidate in all five presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 19 are located in Minnesota, accounting for 9.22 percent of the total pivot counties.[12]
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Minnesota had 15 Retained Pivot Counties and four Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 8.29 and 16.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More Minnesota coverage on Ballotpedia
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Minnesota Court Appeals. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
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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