Christopher Dietzen
Christopher Dietzen was an associate justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court. He retired on August 31, 2016.
Dietzen was appointed to the court in 2008 by Governor Tim Pawlenty, a Republican. He was re-elected in 2010 to a term that would have expired in 2017.[1] Justice Dietzen announced on March 10, 2016, that he would retire from the bench in the summer of 2016.[2] He retired on August 31, 2016.
Education
Dietzen earned his undergraduate degree from Gonzaga University in 1969 and his J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1973.[1]
Career
- 2008-2016: Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
- 2004-2008: Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals
- 1978-2004: Attorney and partner, Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren, Ltd.[1]
Awards and associations
Associations
- Member of the Minnesota State Bar Association
- Chair of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure
- Member of the Commission on Judicial selection
- Advisory Committee to Review the Code of Judicial Conduct and the Rules of the Board on Judicial Standards[1]
Elections
2010 retention
- See also: Minnesota judicial elections, 2010
Dietzen was re-elected to the Minnesota Supreme Court after running unopposed.[3][4]
Approach to the law
Audio of Dietzen's judicial philosophy is available here.
Sentencing for drug offenses
A proposal by Dietzen, chairman of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, won a 7-3 vote to shorten prison sentences for two categories of drug offenses. The vote took place on December 30, 2015, and pertained especially to first-time dealers and addicts who sell to support their habits. The change goes into effect August 1, 2016, unless state lawmakers veto the vote.[5]
The three opposing votes came from a police officer, a prosecutor and a member of the public serving on the commission. The seven supporting votes came from member of the public and members of the judicial system.[5]
Dietzen said the proposal does not actually shorten drug dealers' prison time; the intention, he said, is to reflect that judges are already sentencing drug dealers to shorter terms than guidelines suggest.[5]
"People in greater Minnesota are getting higher sentences for the same crime as they are getting in Hennepin County," Dietzen said. "And that is just not right. I think in terms of uniformity (we need to) make this adjustment."[5]
According to the Duluth News Tribune, the commission's statistics show that greater Minnesota judges are sticking closer to state sentencing guidelines than judges in the Twin Cities.[5]
St. Paul Police Sergeant Paul Ford supports longer sentences, he said, because they protect the public. "We are sending a clear message that we are going to give a break to drug dealers," Ford said.[5]
Public safety leaders in both parties in the House and Senate say it is unlikely the vote will be blocked.[5]
Noteworthy cases
Life without parole not 'cruel and unusual punishment' for teens
In a 5-2 decision, authored by Dietzen, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that sentencing a teen to life in prison without parole does not violate the Constitution's cruel and unusual punishment ban. Two teens, one who was 17 at the time, tried to appeal their conviction for murder, after chasing down another teen and shooting him repeatedly in an alley. The Court cited a Supreme Court of the United States 2005 ruling that overturned a death sentence for a teen but allowed life in prison as the sentence as precedent.[6]
Political ideology
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan ideology of state supreme court justices. They created a scoring system in which a score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology, while scores below 0 were more liberal.
Dietzen received a campaign finance score of -0.19, indicating a liberal ideological leaning. This was more liberal than the average score of -0.07 that justices received in Minnesota.
The study was based on data from campaign contributions by the judges themselves, the partisan leaning of those who contributed to the judges' campaigns, or, in the absence of elections, the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice, but an academic summary of various relevant factors.[7]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Minnesota Supreme Court Christopher Dietzen. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Minnesota Supreme Court, "Associate justice Christopher Dietzen"
- Open Secrets blog, "Minnesota Senate Case Highlights Potential Conflicts for Judges," April 14, 2009
- TPM.com, "Minnesota Supreme Court justice previously donated to Coleman," April 13, 2009
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Judge Profile: Christopher J. Dietzen"
- ↑ Star Tribune, "Dietzen to retire from Minnesota Supreme Court this summer," March 10, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Judicial Races Live Unofficial Results," archived November 10, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2010 General Election Results"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Don Davis, Duluth News Tribune, "Minnesota Supreme Court justice suggests shorter sentences for drug dealers," December 30, 2015
- ↑ The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, "Minnesota Supreme Court says sentencing juvenile to LWOP is constitutional," October 8, 2009
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Minnesota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Minnesota
State courts:
Minnesota Supreme Court • Minnesota Court of Appeals • Minnesota District Courts • Minnesota Problem-Solving Courts • Minnesota Tax Court • Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals
State resources:
Courts in Minnesota • Minnesota judicial elections • Judicial selection in Minnesota
