Minnesota Supreme Court
From Judgepedia
| Minnesota Supreme Court |
|---|
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| Sitting Justices |
| Chief: Eric Magnuson Barry Anderson Paul Anderson Christopher Dietzen Lorie Gildea Helen Meyer Alan Page |
| Former justices |
| Minnesota on Judgepedia |
Contents |
The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the state of Minnesota. It consists of seven justices who are elected to the court in non-partisan elections for six-year terms. Two of the seven seats on the court were in electoral contests in 2008. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court's chamber of the Minnesota State Capitol or in the Minnesota Judicial Center.
Jurisdiction
Certain types of appeals can go directly to the Supreme Court, such as those involving taxes, first degree murder, and workers' compensation.
Case load
The court considers about 900 appeals per year. Only about 5 percent of those 900 appeals actually are accepted and heard before the court. In 1996 through 1997, a total of 1,785 cases were filed.[1]
The court's justices
Selection of justices
Justices are elected in general elections for terms of six years. If a vacancy occurs, the Governor of Minnesota appoints the replacement.[2] "Minnesota judges may be removed one of two ways: after a public hearing and on the recommendation of the Board on Judicial Standards, the supreme court may censure, retire, or remove a judge, or judges may be impeached by a majority vote of the house of representatives and convicted by a two-thirds vote of the senate."[3] Judges may also be subjected to a recall election.[4]
Qualifications
According to the Minnesota Supreme Court, "Judges of the supreme court, the court of appeals and the district court shall be learned in the law. The qualifications of all other judges and judicial officers shall be prescribed by law."[5]
Current Justices
The current members of the Court and year they took office are:
| Name | Elected/Appointed | Term expires | Appointing Governor | Governor's Party Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice Eric Magnuson | 2008 | 2010 | Gov. Pawlenty | Republican |
| Alan Page | 1992 | 2010 | - | - |
| Paul Anderson | 1994 | 2015 | - | - |
| Helen Meyer | 2002 | 2010 | Jesse Ventura | Reform Party |
| G. Barry Anderson | 2004 | 2012 | - | - |
| Lorie Skjerven Gildea | 2006 | 2014 | Gov. Pawlenty | Republican |
| Christopher Dietzen | 2008 | 2010 | Gov. Pawlenty | Republican |
Chief justice
Former Chief Justice Russell Anderson retired on June 1, 2008; Minnesota's governor Tim Pawlenty appointed Eric Magnuson as his successor. [6]
2008 general election results
- In the November 4, 2008 general election Paul Anderson garnered 1,260,705 votes (61%), defeating Tim Tingelstad, who had 818,812 (39%).[7]
- 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%).[8]
History of the court
As a territory, Minnesota held a three-judge panel in 1849. President Zachary Taylor appointed the justices, who were attorneys not from the territory. The court system was reconstructed in 1858 upon statehood.[9] In 1992, former Minnesota Vikings player and Pro Football Hall of Famer Alan Page was elected to an open seat on the court, he was sworn in January 1993.
External links
- Minnesota Judicial Branch
- Minnesota Judicial Branch Structure
- Minnesota Lawyer blog
- Judicial Offices of Minnesota
References
- ↑ NCSC Online
- ↑ Secretary of State
- ↑ Board on Judicial Standards
- ↑ Methods of Selection: Removal of Judges
- ↑ Constitution of the Minnesota Supreme Court
- ↑ Governor taps Eric Magnuson to be state high court chief justice
- ↑ Supreme Court results
- ↑ Supreme Court results
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Supreme_Court Wikipedia: Minnesota Supreme Court]
Portions of this article have been taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Copyright Notice can be found here.
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The Minnesota Project on Judgepedia
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