Minnesota District Courts

From Judgepedia

The Minnesota District Court System handles criminal, civil and family cases in each of Minnesota's 87 counties. The district courts are divided into 10 judicial districts. In 2008, the combined district court system heard about 2 million cases.^[1]

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."

District court judges

Number of judges

In 2009, there were 289 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 that tend to specific cases, such as criminal, civil, probate, family, and juvenile courts.^[1]

Each of the 10 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.

How judges are chosen

See also: Judicial selection in Minnesota

Minnesota's district court judges are elected to six-year terms in non-partisan elections, as set out in Section 7 of Article VI of the Minnesota Constitution

Judicial vacancies created by the mid-term death or retirement of judges in the district courts are filled via appointment.^[1] When a vacancy occurs, the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Selection accepts and evaluates applicants, and recommends three-five candidates to the Governor. The Governor, however, is not required to appoint from the list submitted to him or her by this judicial selection commission.

The Minnesota Commission on Judicial Selection was created in 1989 by the Minnesota legislature to advise the governor on appointments to the district court.

Qualifications

Candidates for the position of district court judge in Minnesota must be "learned in the law". They are subject to mandatory retirement when they reach the age of 70.^[2]

District judge salaries

Section 5 of Article VI of the Minnesota Constitution says that "The compensation of all judges [in Minnesota] shall be prescribed by the legislature and shall not be diminished during their term of office."

In 2009, district court judges in Minnesota earned these salaries:

• District Court Chief Judge: $135,580
• District Court Judge: $129,124^[3]

Districts

District Counties served First District Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, LeSueur, McLeod, Scott and Sibley Counties Second District Ramsey Third District Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasah, Waseca and Winona Counties Fourth District Hennepin Fifth District Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicolet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock and Watonwan Counties Sixth District Carlton, Cook, Lake and St. Louis Counties Seventh District Becker, Benton, Clay, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Trail, Stearns, Todd and Wadena Counties Eighth District Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, LacQuiPerle, Meeker, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin and Yellow Medicine Counties Ninth District Aitkin, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lakewoods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake and Roseau Counties Tenth District Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Sherburne, Washington and Wright Counties External links Minnesota District Courts webpage Informational brochure about Minnesota District Courts Application procedures for Minnesota District Court Judge References ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "District Courts" ↑ Judicial selection in Minnesota ↑ Minnesota Courts, "How Do I Become A Judge?" v • d • e Courts in Minnesota State appellate courts Minnesota Supreme Court • Minnesota Court of Appeals State trial courts District Courts • County Courts • Problem-Solving Courts • Tax Court • Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals Federal appellate court Eighth Circuit Federal district courts District of Minnesota Federal bankruptcy courts District of Minnesota, bankruptcy The Minnesota Project on Judgepedia Supreme Court Court of Appeals Federal district for Minnesota Federal court of appeal