District Judge Robert Carolan retires, leaves for Kosovo

February 28, 2011

Minnesota: Judge Robert F. Carolan retired in early February from the Minnesota First Judicial District in Dakota County, Minnesota. Two weeks later, he set out for Kosovo, where he will preside over the Constitutional Court for eighteen months. He is one of the judges from around the world who are helping the young country (and former Yugoslavian republic) write laws to create a democratic system of government. Carolan has prior experience prosecuting war crimes in this area of the world. In 2002 and 2003, he served as an international judge with the U.N. Mission in Kosovo and, in 2004 and 2005, he served as chair of the Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Kosovo. He also heard appeals cases for the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2008 and 2009. The importance of the new Constitutional Court was emphasized by the court's President, Enver Hasani, who said, "The Western path for Kosovo has been traced and assured through the work of this Constitutional Court more than through the work of all other institutions of Kosovo taken together." U.S. District Judge John Tunheim called Judge Carolan "a real star in the legal systems in the Balkans."

Judge Carolan first joined the Dakota County District Court in 1987. Previously, he worked as an Assistant Minnesota Attorney General (1970-74), an Assistant Dakota County Attorney (1974-79), and a Dakota County Attorney (1979-87).