History / Courts

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

42 judges have served since May 20, 1858. Now: Laura Margarete Provinzino DJeffrey Marc Bryan DJerry Wayne Blackwell DKatherine Marie Menendez DNancy Ellen Brasel REric Christian Tostrud R.

Judges
42
22 D · 20 R
Longest tenure
38 years
Rensselaer Russell Nelson
Current
2.1 years
Laura Margarete Provinzino, since Sep 16, 2024
history/court/district-court-for-the-district-of-minnesotaEvery holder, newest first
+42
186018801900192019401960198020002020Rensselaer Russell Nelson · 1858-05-20 – 1896-05-16 · DemocratWilliam Lochren · 1896-05-18 – 1908-07-11 · DemocratMilton Dwight Purdy · 1909-03-06 – 1909-05-01 · RepublicanCharles Andrew Willard · 1909-05-18 – 1914-03-13 · RepublicanWilbur Franklin Booth · 1914-05-04 – 1925-03-27 · DemocratGunnar Hans Nordbye · 1932-02-10 – 1967-03-06 · RepublicanPhilip Neville · 1967-07-31 – 1974-02-13 · DemocratDonald Douglas Alsop · 1974-12-20 – 1992-08-28 · RepublicanMichael James Davis · 1994-03-28 – 2015-08-01 · DemocratWilhelmina Marie Wright · 2016-02-18 – 2024-02-15 · DemocratLaura Margarete Provinzino · 2024-09-16 – present · DemocratPage Morris · 1903-03-09 – 1923-06-30 · RepublicanWilliam Alexander Cant · 1924-01-15 – 1933-01-12 · RepublicanRobert Cook Bell · 1933-06-13 – 1961-05-01 · DemocratEarl Richard Larson · 1961-08-10 – 1977-06-30 · DemocratHarry Hunter MacLaughlin · 1977-09-19 – 1992-10-01 · DemocratJohn R. Tunheim · 1995-12-26 – 2023-12-01 · DemocratMilton Dwight Purdy · 1908-07-06 – 1909-03-03 · RepublicanJohn Franklin McGee · 1923-03-02 – 1925-02-15 · RepublicanJohn Benjamin Sanborn · 1925-03-18 – 1932-02-02 · RepublicanMatthew M. Joyce · 1932-02-11 – 1954-10-11 · RepublicanEdward James Devitt · 1955-02-07 – 1981-05-01 · RepublicanPaul Arthur Magnuson · 1981-10-29 – 2002-02-09 · RepublicanJoan N. Ericksen · 2002-05-01 – 2019-10-15 · RepublicanKatherine Marie Menendez · 2021-12-21 – present · DemocratJoseph West Molyneaux · 1925-03-18 – 1937-02-28 · RepublicanGeorge F. Sullivan · 1937-08-20 – 1944-04-14 · DemocratDennis Francis Donovan · 1945-07-18 – 1965-12-31 · DemocratMiles Welton Lord · 1966-04-28 – 1985-07-01 · DemocratJames Michael Rosenbaum · 1985-07-18 – 2009-10-26 · RepublicanSusan Richard Nelson · 2010-12-21 – 2021-12-31 · DemocratJerry Wayne Blackwell · 2022-12-20 – present · DemocratRobert George Renner · 1980-02-20 – 1992-02-22 · DemocratRichard House Kyle · 1992-05-13 – 2005-05-31 · RepublicanPatrick Joseph Schiltz · 2006-04-28 – 2026-07-01 · RepublicanDiana E. Murphy · 1980-02-20 – 1994-10-13 · DemocratAnn D. Montgomery · 1996-08-06 – 2016-05-31 · DemocratEric Christian Tostrud · 2018-09-10 – present · RepublicanDavid Singleton Doty · 1987-05-08 – 1998-06-30 · RepublicanDonovan W. Frank · 1998-10-22 – 2016-10-31 · DemocratNancy Ellen Brasel · 2018-09-13 – present · RepublicanJeffrey Marc Bryan · 2023-11-30 – present · Democrat
Laura Margarete Provinzino D
Sep 16, 2024 – present · 2.1 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 54–41
Jeffrey Marc Bryan D
Nov 30, 2023 – present · 2.9 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 49–46
Jerry Wayne Blackwell D
Dec 20, 2022 – present · 3.8 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 51–43
Katherine Marie Menendez D
Dec 21, 2021 – present · 4.8 years · appointed by Joseph R. Biden · confirmed 49–21
Nancy Ellen Brasel R
Sep 13, 2018 – present · 8.1 years · appointed by Donald J. Trump
Eric Christian Tostrud R
Sep 10, 2018 – present · 8.1 years · appointed by Donald J. Trump
Wilhelmina Marie Wright D
Feb 18, 2016 – Feb 15, 2024 · 8 years · appointed by Barack Obama · senior status Feb 15, 2024 · confirmed 58–36
Susan Richard Nelson D
Dec 21, 2010 – Dec 31, 2021 · 11 years · appointed by Barack Obama · senior status Dec 31, 2021
Patrick Joseph Schiltz R
Apr 28, 2006 – Jul 1, 2026 · 20 years · appointed by George W. Bush · senior status Jul 1, 2026
Joan N. Ericksen R
May 1, 2002 – Oct 15, 2019 · 17 years · appointed by George W. Bush · senior status Oct 15, 2019 · confirmed 99–0
Donovan W. Frank D
Oct 22, 1998 – Oct 31, 2016 · 18 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Oct 31, 2016
Ann D. Montgomery D
Aug 6, 1996 – May 31, 2016 · 20 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status May 31, 2016
John R. Tunheim D
Dec 26, 1995 – Dec 1, 2023 · 28 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Dec 1, 2023
Michael James Davis D
Mar 28, 1994 – Aug 1, 2015 · 21 years · appointed by William J. Clinton · senior status Aug 1, 2015
Richard House Kyle R
May 13, 1992 – May 31, 2005 · 13 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush · senior status May 31, 2005
David Singleton Doty R
May 8, 1987 – Jun 30, 1998 · 11 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan · senior status Jun 30, 1998
James Michael Rosenbaum R
Jul 18, 1985 – Oct 26, 2009 · 24 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan · senior status Oct 26, 2009
Paul Arthur Magnuson R
Oct 29, 1981 – Feb 9, 2002 · 20 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan · senior status Feb 9, 2002
Robert George Renner D
Feb 20, 1980 – Feb 22, 1992 · 12 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status Feb 22, 1992
Diana E. Murphy D
Feb 20, 1980 – Oct 13, 1994 · 15 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter
Harry Hunter MacLaughlin D
Sep 19, 1977 – Oct 1, 1992 · 15 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status Oct 1, 1992
Donald Douglas Alsop R
Dec 20, 1974 – Aug 28, 1992 · 18 years · appointed by Richard M. Nixon · senior status Aug 28, 1992
Philip Neville D
Jul 31, 1967 – Feb 13, 1974 · 6.5 years · appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson
Miles Welton Lord D
Apr 28, 1966 – Jul 1, 1985 · 19 years · appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson · senior status Jul 1, 1985
Earl Richard Larson D
Aug 10, 1961 – Jun 30, 1977 · 16 years · appointed by John F. Kennedy · senior status Jun 30, 1977
Edward James Devitt R
Feb 7, 1955 – May 1, 1981 · 26 years · appointed by Dwight D. Eisenhower · senior status May 1, 1981
Dennis Francis Donovan D
Jul 18, 1945 – Dec 31, 1965 · 20 years · appointed by Harry S Truman · senior status Dec 31, 1965
George F. Sullivan D
Aug 20, 1937 – Apr 14, 1944 · 6.7 years · appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt
Robert Cook Bell D
Jun 13, 1933 – May 1, 1961 · 28 years · appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt · senior status May 1, 1961
Matthew M. Joyce R
Feb 11, 1932 – Oct 11, 1954 · 23 years · appointed by Herbert Hoover · senior status Oct 11, 1954
Gunnar Hans Nordbye R
Feb 10, 1932 – Mar 6, 1967 · 35 years · appointed by Herbert Hoover · senior status Mar 6, 1967
John Benjamin Sanborn R
Mar 18, 1925 – Feb 2, 1932 · 6.9 years · appointed by Calvin Coolidge
Joseph West Molyneaux R
Mar 18, 1925 – Feb 28, 1937 · 12 years · appointed by Calvin Coolidge · senior status Feb 28, 1937
William Alexander Cant R
Jan 15, 1924 – Jan 12, 1933 · 9 years · appointed by Warren G. Harding
John Franklin McGee R
Mar 2, 1923 – Feb 15, 1925 · 2 years · appointed by Warren G. Harding
Wilbur Franklin Booth D
May 4, 1914 – Mar 27, 1925 · 11 years · appointed by Woodrow Wilson
Charles Andrew Willard R
May 18, 1909 – Mar 13, 1914 · 4.8 years · appointed by William H. Taft
Milton Dwight Purdy R
Mar 6, 1909 – May 1, 1909 · 2 months · appointed by William H. Taft
Milton Dwight Purdy R
Jul 6, 1908 – Mar 3, 1909 · 8 months · appointed by Theodore Roosevelt
Page Morris R
Mar 9, 1903 – Jun 30, 1923 · 20 years · appointed by Theodore Roosevelt · senior status Jun 30, 1923
William Lochren D
May 18, 1896 – Jul 11, 1908 · 12 years · appointed by Grover Cleveland
Rensselaer Russell Nelson D
May 20, 1858 – May 16, 1896 · 38 years · appointed by James Buchanan

Dates are from the Federal Judicial Center (commission to senior status or departure). Consecutive terms of one person are merged.