| United States District Court for the District of Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| (D. Minn.) | |
| Location | Minneapolis |
| Appeals to | Eighth Circuit |
| Established | May 11, 1858 |
| Judges | 7 |
| Chief Judge | Patrick J. Schiltz |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | Daniel N. Rosen[1] |
| U.S. Marshal | Eddie Frizell |
| www | |
TheUnited States District Court for the District of Minnesota (incase citations,D. Minn.) is thefederal district court whose jurisdiction is the state ofMinnesota. Its two primary courthouses are inMinneapolis andSaint Paul. Cases are also heard in the federal courthouses inDuluth andFergus Falls.
Appeals from the District of Minnesota are taken to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (except forpatent claims and claims against the U.S. government under theTucker Act, which are appealed to theFederal Circuit).

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. One notable former U.S. attorney for the District wasCushman K. Davis, who later became governor of the state and was elected to theUnited States Senate.
As of October 10, 2025[update], the U.S. attorney is Daniel Rosen.
As of September 16, 2024[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 33 | Chief Judge | Patrick J. Schiltz | Minneapolis | 1960 | 2006–present | 2022–present | — | G.W. Bush |
| 36 | District Judge | Eric C. Tostrud | Saint Paul | 1965 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 37 | District Judge | Nancy E. Brasel | Minneapolis | 1969 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 38 | District Judge | Katherine M. Menendez | Minneapolis | 1971 | 2021–present | — | — | Biden |
| 39 | District Judge | Jerry W. Blackwell | Saint Paul | 1962 | 2022–present | — | — | Biden |
| 40 | District Judge | Jeffrey Bryan | Saint Paul | 1976 | 2023–present | — | — | Biden |
| 41 | District Judge | Laura Provinzino | Saint Paul | 1975 | 2024–present | — | — | Biden |
| 20 | Senior Judge | Donald Alsop | Saint Paul | 1927 | 1974–1992 | 1985–1992 | 1992–present | Ford[Note 1] |
| 24 | Senior Judge | Paul A. Magnuson | Saint Paul | 1937 | 1981–2002 | 1994–2001 | 2002–present | Reagan |
| 26 | Senior Judge | David S. Doty | Minneapolis | 1929 | 1987–1998 | — | 1998–present | Reagan |
| 28 | Senior Judge | Michael J. Davis | Minneapolis | 1947 | 1994–2015 | 2008–2015 | 2015–present | Clinton |
| 29 | Senior Judge | John R. Tunheim | Minneapolis | 1953 | 1995–2023 | 2015–2022 | 2023–present | Clinton |
| 30 | Senior Judge | Ann D. Montgomery | Minneapolis | 1949 | 1996–2016 | — | 2016–present | Clinton |
| 31 | Senior Judge | Donovan W. Frank | Saint Paul | 1951 | 1998–2016 | — | 2016–present | Clinton |
| 32 | Senior Judge | Joan N. Ericksen | Minneapolis | 1954 | 2002–2019 | — | 2019–present | G.W. Bush |
| 34 | Senior Judge | Susan Richard Nelson | Saint Paul | 1952 | 2010–2021 | — | 2021–present | Obama |
| 35 | Senior Judge | Wilhelmina Wright | Saint Paul | 1964 | 2016–2024 | — | 2024–present | Obama |
| Seat | Prior judge's duty station | Seat last held by | Vacancy reason | Date of vacancy | Nominee | Date of nomination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Minneapolis | Patrick J. Schiltz | Senior status | July 1, 2026[2] | – | – |
| # | Judge | State | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rensselaer Nelson | MN | 1826–1904 | 1858–1896 | — | — | Buchanan | retirement |
| 2 | William Lochren | MN | 1832–1912 | 1896–1908 | — | — | Cleveland | retirement |
| 3 | Page Morris | MN | 1853–1924 | 1903–1923 | — | 1923–1924 | T. Roosevelt | death |
| 4 | Milton D. Purdy | MN | 1866–1937 | 1908–1909[Note 1] 1909[Note 2] | — | — | T. Roosevelt Taft | not confirmed resignation |
| 5 | Charles Andrew Willard | MN | 1857–1914 | 1909–1914 | — | — | Taft | death |
| 6 | Wilbur F. Booth | MN | 1861–1944 | 1914–1925 | — | — | Wilson | elevation to8th Cir. |
| 7 | John F. McGee | MN | 1861–1925 | 1923–1925 | — | — | Harding | death |
| 8 | William Alexander Cant | MN | 1863–1933 | 1923–1933[Note 3] | — | — | Harding[Note 4] Coolidge[Note 5] | death |
| 9 | Joseph W. Molyneaux | MN | 1859–1940 | 1925–1937 | — | 1937–1940 | Coolidge | death |
| 10 | John B. Sanborn Jr. | MN | 1883–1964 | 1925–1932 | — | — | Coolidge | elevation to8th Cir. |
| 11 | Gunnar Nordbye | MN | 1888–1977 | 1931–1967[Note 6] | 1948–1959 | 1967–1977 | Hoover | death |
| 12 | Matthew M. Joyce | MN | 1877–1956 | 1932–1954 | — | 1954–1956 | Hoover | death |
| 13 | Robert Cook Bell | MN | 1880–1964 | 1933–1961 | — | 1961–1964 | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 14 | George F. Sullivan | MN | 1886–1944 | 1937–1944 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 15 | Dennis F. Donovan | MN | 1889–1974 | 1945–1965 | — | 1965–1974 | Truman | death |
| 16 | Edward Devitt | MN | 1911–1992 | 1954–1981[Note 7] | 1959–1981 | 1981–1992 | Eisenhower | death |
| 17 | Earl R. Larson | MN | 1911–2001 | 1961–1977 | — | 1977–2001 | Kennedy | death |
| 18 | Miles Lord | MN | 1919–2016 | 1966–1985 | 1981–1985 | 1985 | L. Johnson | retirement |
| 19 | Philip Neville | MN | 1909–1974 | 1967–1974 | — | — | L. Johnson | death |
| 21 | Harry H. MacLaughlin | MN | 1927–2005 | 1977–1992 | 1992 | 1992–2005 | Carter | death |
| 22 | Diana E. Murphy | MN | 1934–2018 | 1980–1994 | 1992–1994 | — | Carter | elevation to8th Cir. |
| 23 | Robert G. Renner | MN | 1923–2005 | 1980–1992 | — | 1992–2005 | Carter | death |
| 25 | James M. Rosenbaum | MN | 1944–present | 1985–2009 | 2001–2008 | 2009–2010 | Reagan | retirement |
| 27 | Richard H. Kyle | MN | 1937–2021 | 1992–2005 | — | 2005–2021 | G.H.W. Bush | death |
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known assenior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
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44°56′48″N93°5′21″W / 44.94667°N 93.08917°W /44.94667; -93.08917