U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Eighth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Douglas Alsop | Nixon (R) | 1974 |
| Paul Arthur Magnuson | Reagan (R) | 1981 |
| David Singleton Doty | Reagan (R) | 1987 |
| Michael James Davis | Clinton (D) | 1994 |
| John R. Tunheim | Clinton (D) | 1995 |
| Ann D. Montgomery | Clinton (D) | 1996 |
| Donovan W. Frank | Clinton (D) | 1998 |
| Joan N. Ericksen | Bush (R) | 2002 |
| Patrick Joseph Schiltz | Bush (R) | 2006 |
| Susan Richard Nelson | Obama (D) | 2010 |
| Wilhelmina Marie Wright | Obama (D) | 2016 |
| Nancy Ellen Brasel | Trump (R) | 2018 |
| Eric Christian Tostrud | Trump (R) | 2018 |
| Katherine Marie Menendez | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Jerry Wayne Blackwell | Biden (D) | 2022 |
| Jeffrey Marc Bryan | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Laura Margarete Provinzino | Biden (D) | 2024 |
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Richard House Kyle | Bush (R) | 1992–2021 |
| James Michael Rosenbaum | Reagan (R) | 1985–2010 |
| Diana E. Murphy | Carter (D) | 1980–1994 |
| Robert George Renner | Carter (D) | 1980–2005 |
| Harry Hunter MacLaughlin | Carter (D) | 1977–2005 |
| Philip Neville | Johnson (D) | 1967–1974 |
| Miles Welton Lord | Johnson (D) | 1966–1985 |
| Earl Richard Larson | Kennedy (D) | 1961–2001 |
| Edward James Devitt | Eisenhower (R) | 1955–1992 |
| Dennis Francis Donovan | Truman (D) | 1945–1974 |
| George F. Sullivan | Roosevelt (D) | 1937–1944 |
| Robert Cook Bell | Roosevelt (D) | 1933–1964 |
| Matthew M. Joyce | Hoover (R) | 1932–1956 |
| Gunnar Hans Nordbye | Hoover (R) | 1932–1977 |
| Joseph West Molyneaux | Coolidge (R) | 1925–1940 |
| John Benjamin Sanborn | Coolidge (R) | 1925–1932 |
| William Alexander Cant | Harding (R) | 1924–1933 |
| John Franklin McGee | Harding (R) | 1923–1925 |
| Wilbur Franklin Booth | Wilson (D) | 1914–1925 |
| Charles Andrew Willard | Taft (R) | 1909–1914 |
| Page Morris | Roosevelt (R) | 1903–1924 |
| William Lochren | Cleveland (D) | 1896–1908 |
| Rensselaer Russell Nelson | Buchanan (D) | 1858–1896 |
| Milton Dwight Purdy | Roosevelt (R) | ?–1909 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1858.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.