Erica H. MacDonald
Erica H. MacDonald is a former Minnesota First Judicial District judge for Dakota County, Minnesota and the former U.S. attorney for the district of Minnesota. She was appointed to the court on November 24, 2009 by Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R). She won re-election in 2012. She left the position after being confirmed as the state's U.S. Attorney on May 24, 2018.[1]
Erica H. MacDonald served as the U.S. attorney for the district of Minnesota from 2018 to 2021. She left office on February 28, 2021.[2]
Education
MacDonald received her B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Indiana) in 1989. She received her J.D. degree from the DePaul University College of Law (Chicago, Illinois) in 1997.[3]
Career
Judge MacDonald began her legal career in 1997 as a judicial clerk to Judge Alesia of the U.S. District Court in Chicago. She then joined the firm of Kirkland and Ellis in 1999. One year later, she became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago. Later in 2000, she became a law clerk to Judge Lansing of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She then worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for Minnesota from 2001 until she was appointed to the district court in 2009.[3] She served as the U.S. attorney for the district of Minnesota from 2018 to 2021.[4]
Elections
2012
MacDonald ran unopposed in the general election November 6, 2012.[5] She received 99.22 percent of the vote.[6]
- See also: Minnesota judicial elections, 2012
Noteworthy events
U.S. attorney's office joint investigation into death of George Floyd
On May 26, 2020, the Minneapolis Police Department terminated the employment of four law enforcement officers from the department after an incident in which the officers detained Minneapolis resident George Floyd. Video of the arrest, which occurred on May 25, showed Floyd on the ground with two officers next to a squad car. The video showed one of the officers kneeling on Floyd's neck for several minutes while Floyd said repeatedly that he was unable to breathe.[7] A police statement indicated that Floyd died at the hospital shortly after the incident occurred.[8]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened an investigation into the incident on the same day the officers were terminated.[9] On May 28, MacDonald issued a joint statement with FBI special agent in charge Rainer Drolshagen announcing that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office were "conducting a robust criminal investigation into the circumstances" of Floyd's death to "determine whether the actions by the involved former Minneapolis Police Department officers violated federal law."[10] In a press conference that day, MacDonald said of the investigation into the officers' actions, "It must be proven that the subject took action, or did not take action, when he or she knew that was wrong and chose to do it anyway. As with all matters, the investigation in this case will be comprehensive and will be conducted with the highest integrity, as the community would expect."[11] To learn more about the investigation into the death of George Floyd and resulting policy changes, click here.
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- U.S. attorney official profile
- Star Tribune "Federal prosecutor appointed state judge in Hastings," November 24, 2009
- Pioneer Press "Prosecutor named Dakota County District Court judge," November 24, 2009
Footnotes
- ↑ The United States Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, "Meet the U.S. Attorney," accessed May 28, 2020
- ↑ United States Department of Justice, "United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald To Depart Justice Department," February 25, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Official biography of Judge MacDonald
- ↑ United States Department of Justice, "United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald To Depart Justice Department," February 25, 2021
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State website
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State Election Results
- ↑ CNN, "4 Minneapolis cops fired after video shows one kneeling on neck of black man who later died," May 27, 2020
- ↑ CBS News, "Video shows Minneapolis cop with knee on neck of motionless, moaning man who later died," May 27, 2020
- ↑ Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Minneapolis police, protesters clash almost 24 hours after George Floyd's death in custody," May 27, 2020
- ↑ The United States Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota, "Joint Statement Of United States Attorney Erica MacDonald And FBI Special Agent In Charge Rainer Drolshagen," May 28, 2020
- ↑ KARE11, "U.S. Attorney Macdonald: 'Our highest priority is that justice will be served'," May 28, 2020
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
