Representative Paul Thissen was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to the Minnesota Supreme Court on April 17, 2018, replacing Justice David Stras. Sixteen other Minnesota legislators have served on the Minnesota Supreme Court:
Name |
Minnesota Legislative Service |
Minnesota Supreme Court Service |
Notes |
John Berry |
Territorial House 1857;
Senate 1863-1864
|
Associate Justice 1865-1887 |
|
Kathleen Blatz |
House 1979-1994 |
Associate Justice 1996-1998;
Chief Justice 1998-2006
|
|
Daniel Buck |
House 1866;
Senate 1879-1882
|
Associate Justice 1893 -1899 |
He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1892 for a term that started in January 1894, but another judge resigned and he was appointed to take his place before his elected term started.
|
Loren Collins |
House 1881-1884
|
Associate Justice 1887-1904 |
|
Francis "F.R.E." Cornell |
House 1861-1862; 1865 |
Associate Justice 1875-1881 |
|
Wallace Douglas |
House 1895-1898 |
Associate Justice 1904-1905 |
|
Charles Flandrau |
Territorial Council 1856 |
Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court Associate Justice 1857-1858;
Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice 1858-1864
|
He was also a member of the Territorial Democratic Constitutional Convention in 1857.
|
Alexander "Sandy" Keith |
Senate 1959-1962 |
Associate Justice 1989-1990;
Chief Justice 1990-1998
|
He also served as Lieutenant Governor from 1963 to 1967. He is believed to be the first person to serve in all three branches of Minnesota state government (Star Tribune 7/7/1990).
|
William Mitchell |
House 1859-1860 |
Associate Justice 1881-1900 |
|
C. Donald Peterson |
House 1959-1962 |
Associate Justice 1967-1986 |
|
Peter Popovich |
House 1953-1962 |
Associate Justice 1987-1989;
Chief Justice 1989-1990
|
|
Walter Rogosheske |
House 1943-1948 |
Associate Justice 1962-1980 |
|
Albert Schaller |
Senate 1895-1914 |
Associate Justice 1915-1917 |
|
Robert Sheran |
House 1947-1950 |
Associate Justice 1963-1970;
Chief Justice 1973-1981
|
|
Thomas Wilson
|
House 1881-1882;
Senate 1883-1886
|
Associate Justice 1864-1865;
Chief Justice 1865-1869
|
He was a member of the Territorial Republican Constitutional Convention in 1857. He is unique for having served as a legislator after his time on the Minnesota Supreme Court, rather than before.
|
Lawrence Yetka |
House 1951-1960 |
Associate Justice 1973-1993 |
|
Three Minnesota legislators served on other states' territorial supreme courts:
- Warren Bristol (Minnesota House 1866; Minnesota Senate 1867-1869) served on the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court from 1872-1885. Notably, he presided over the New Mexico trial of "Billy the Kid."
- Alonzo Edgerton (Minnesota Senate 1859-1860; 1877-1878) served on the Territorial Supreme Court of Dakota, was a U.S. Senator for Minnesota, and was a member of the South Dakota Constitutional Convention.
- John North (Minnesota Territorial House 1851; Minnesota Republican Constitutional Convention 1857) served on the Nevada Territory Supreme Court. He also served on the Nevada Territory State Constitutional Convention.
In early Minnesota history, there were other leaders who served both as part of the constitutional convention and as justices on the supreme court:
- Bradley Meeker was not a Minnesota legislator but was a member of the Territorial Democratic Constitutional Convention in 1857. He served on the Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court as an Associate Justice from 1849-1853.
- LaFayette Emmett was a member of the Territorial Democratic Constitutional Convention in 1857 and served on the Minnesota Supreme Court as Chief Justice from 1858-1865.
Three Minnesota Supreme Court justices, Aaron Goodrich, Andrew Chatfield, and Moses Sherburne served in other state legislatures, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Maine respectively. Moses Sherburne was also a member of the Minnesota Territorial Democratic Constitutional Convention in 1857.