Lorie Skjerven Gildea
Encyclopedia
Lorie Skjerven Gildea is an attorney and the current Chief Justice
of the Minnesota Supreme Court
. She served as an associate justice
on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 2006 to 2010, and as a district judge for Hennepin County
in the Fourth Judicial District from 2005 to 2006.
, a small town in the northwestern part of the state. She received a Bachelor of Arts
, with distinction, from the University of Minnesota Morris in 1983, and a Juris Doctor
, magna cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center
in 1986. After law school she remained in Washington, D.C.
and entered private practice at Arent Fox
.
. She represented the University system for eleven years, including during the scandal involving former men's basketball coach Clem Haskins
. She served on the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission from 2001 to 2004 under Governors Jesse Ventura
and Tim Pawlenty
. Pawlenty later appointed her as an Associate Justice.
Gildea's seat on the Court was up for election in 2008. She defeated three opponents in the primary election and Hennepin County District Judge Deborah Hedlund in the general election. In 2010 Governor Pawlenty appointed her the new Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, replacing Eric J. Magnuson
. Her term as Chief Justice began on July 1, 2010, and she was officially sworn in at a ceremony on July 12, 2010, in Saint Paul
.
Gildea lives in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis
.
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Minnesota Supreme Court
Minnesota Supreme Court
The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota and consists of seven members. The court was first assembled as a three-judge panel in 1849 when Minnesota was still a territory. The first members were lawyers from outside of the region who were appointed by...
. She served as an associate justice
Associate Justice
Associate Justice or Associate Judge is the title for a member of a judicial panel who is not the Chief Justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the United States Supreme Court and some state supreme courts, and for some other courts in Commonwealth...
on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 2006 to 2010, and as a district judge for Hennepin County
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2010 the population was 1,152,425. Its county seat is Minneapolis. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live...
in the Fourth Judicial District from 2005 to 2006.
Early life and education
Gildea was raised in Plummer, MinnesotaPlummer, Minnesota
Plummer is a city in Red Lake County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 292 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles , all of it land....
, a small town in the northwestern part of the state. She received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, with distinction, from the University of Minnesota Morris in 1983, and a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
, magna cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center
Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.. Established in 1870, the Law Center offers J.D., LL.M., and S.J.D. degrees in law...
in 1986. After law school she remained in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and entered private practice at Arent Fox
Arent Fox
Arent Fox LLP is a law firm and lobbying group based in Washington, D.C.. The firm also has offices in New York City and Los Angeles, California. In 2007, the National Law Journal ranked the firm as the 137th largest in the United States based on number of attorneys...
.
Career
Gildea later returned to Minnesota where, after working briefly as a special prosecutor for the city of Minneapolis, she became an associate general counsel for the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. She represented the University system for eleven years, including during the scandal involving former men's basketball coach Clem Haskins
Clem Haskins
Clem Smith Haskins is a retired American college and professional basketball player and college basketball coach. He and star player Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball program in the fall of 1963. This put Western Kentucky at the...
. She served on the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission from 2001 to 2004 under Governors Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura
James George Janos , better known as Jesse Ventura, is an American politician, the 38th Governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2003, Navy UDT veteran, former SEAL reservist, actor, and former radio and television talk show host...
and Tim Pawlenty
Tim Pawlenty
Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...
. Pawlenty later appointed her as an Associate Justice.
Gildea's seat on the Court was up for election in 2008. She defeated three opponents in the primary election and Hennepin County District Judge Deborah Hedlund in the general election. In 2010 Governor Pawlenty appointed her the new Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, replacing Eric J. Magnuson
Eric J. Magnuson
Eric John Magnuson is an American lawyer in private practice. He was the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 2008 to 2010.-Education and professional background:...
. Her term as Chief Justice began on July 1, 2010, and she was officially sworn in at a ceremony on July 12, 2010, in Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
.
Gildea lives in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
.
External links
- Judge Profile: Associate Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea, State of Minnesota Judicial Branch.
- Philip J. Trobaugh, Judge Lorie Skjerven Gildea, Hennepin Lawyer, December 22, 2005.
- "New Minnesota Chief Justice on MPR's Midday program" MPR News: July 1, 2010