Lorie Gildea

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Lorie Gildea
Current Court Information:
Minnesota Supreme Court
Title:	Chief Justice
Service:
Appointed by:	Tim Pawlenty
Active:	2006-2015
Past post:	Minnesota Fourth Judicial District
Past term:	2005-2006
Past position:	Judge
Personal History
Bachelors:	University of Minnesota-Morris, 1983
Law School:	Georgetown University Law Center, 1986

Lorie Skjerven Gildea is the Chief Justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court. She was appointed to the court on January 11, 2006 by Governor Tim Pawlenty. Gildea was subsequently elected to the court in 2008 for a six-year term that expires in 2014. On May 13, 2010, Governor Pawlenty appointed Gildea Chief Justice of the court. ^[1][2]

Education

Gildea earned her J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. in 1986 and her B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota, Morris in 1983.^[3]

Career

Justice Gildea was associate general counsel for the University of Minnesota from 1993 to 2004, and an associate attorney with the law firm of Arent Fox in Washington, D.C. from 1986 to 1993. She was appointed to a Fourth Judicial District judgeship by Governor Pawlenty in September 2005 and as Associate Justice in January 2006. She had previously served, since 2004, as an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney.^[3]

Awards and Associations

• 2001-2004 Member, Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission
• 2000-2003 Board of Directors, YWCA of Minneapolis
• 2000-2002 Advisory Board, MINNCORR Industries^[3]

2008 election

For the main article, see Minnesota Supreme Court elections.

In the contest for seat 4, incumbent Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea garnered 1,103,429 votes (55%) and defeated Deborah Hedlund, who received 894,206 votes (45%).^[4]

Lawsuit to remove from ballot

Jill Clark filed a petition in early August seeking to have Gildea's name removed from the September 9 primary ballot. Clark's position is that the judicial appointment process currently operative in Minnesota is unconstitutional because it undermines the election process. She is trying to prevent the word "incumbent" from appearing next to Gildea's name. Gildea was appointed to her current seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2006 by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, which is why she is an incumbent--she has not previously won election to the seat she holds.^[5]

The petition to remove Gildea from the ballot had to be considered by the Minnesota Supreme Court. Gildea's colleagues recused themselves, and chief justice Eric Magnuson appointed a special board of five retired justices to adjudicate the case. Three of the five retired justices sitting on the special 5-member board have previously endorsed Gildea's re-election campaign: Sam Hanson, Edward Stringer and Esther Tomljanovich.^[6]

As of September 8, 2008, Clark's efforts to remove Gildea's name failed at the state and federal level.^[7]

See also

• News: Minnesota Supreme Court judges recuse themselves from cases involving U. of Minnesota, April 30, 2012
• News: Supreme Court Judge Gildea throws out recall against commissioner, February 27, 2012

External links

• Minnesota Supreme Court associate justice Lorie Gildea biography
• KAALTV.com, "New Chief Justice Says Court Funding Is Concern," July 14, 2010
• The Bemidji Pioneer, "Gildea sworn in as Minnesota's chief justice", July 13, 2010
• MinnPost.com, "Gildea's unallotment dissent, redux", May 18, 2010
• Grand Forks Herald "From a small town to chief justice", May 15, 2010
• Politics in Minnesota "Gildea elevated to chief justice; David Stras appointed associate", May 13, 2010

References

v • d • e Minnesota Supreme Court
Current	Alan Page  •  Lorie Gildea  •  Barry Anderson  •  Paul Anderson  •  Christopher Dietzen  •  Helen Meyer  •  David Stras  •
Former	Russell Anderson  •  Eric Magnuson  •  Sam Hanson  •  Edward Stringer  •  Esther Tomljanovich  •  Sandy Keith  •  Kathleen Blatz  •