James Cunningham (Minnesota)
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James Cunningham is a Tenth Judicial District judge for Anoka County, Minnesota. He was appointed to this position on November 6, 2008.[1] He was re-elected in 2010 and 2016.[2]
Education
Cunningham received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1986 and 1989, respectively.[1]
Career
Cunningham began his legal career in 1989 as a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Charles Clevert in Milwaukee, Wis. The following year, he moved to Minneapolis and joined the Rider Bennett law firm as an associate attorney. He then worked as assistant district counsel for Minneapolis Public Schools from 1993 until 1999, when he became an assistant city attorney. He worked in this position in Minneapolis until 2003. He then worked as a commissioner of the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services until his judicial appointment in 2008.[1][3]
Elections
2016
Minnesota held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election occurred on August 9, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 31, 2016.[4] Incumbent James Cunningham ran unopposed in the Minnesota 10th District, Position 19 general election.[2]
| Minnesota 10th District, Position 19, General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 James Cunningham Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 267,501 |
| Total Votes | 267,501 | |
| Source: Minnesota Secretary of State, "Unofficial Results Tuesday, November 8, 2016: Results for All Judicial Races," accessed November 9, 2016 | ||
2010
- See also: Minnesota judicial elections, 2010
Cunningham was re-elected after running unopposed.
Selection method
- See also: Nonpartisan election of judges
Judges of the Minnesota District Courts are all chosen in nonpartisan elections to serve six-year terms. Candidates compete in primaries, from which the top two contestants advance to the general election. Sitting judges must run for re-election if they wish to serve additional terms. While party affiliation is not designated on the ballot, incumbency is. Sitting judges who reach the age of 70 while in office are allowed to serve until the last day of their birthday month.[5]
The chief judge of each district court is selected by peer vote for a two-year term.[5]
Judges of all courts are required to be "learned in the law" and under 70 years old.[5][6]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Judge James A. Cunningham," accessed January 26, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Minnesota Secretary of State, "2016 State General Election Candidate Filings: Judicial Offices," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ HometownSource.com, "News Release: James A. Cunningham appointed by Gov. Pawlenty to Tenth Judicial District Judgeship in Anoka County," November 6, 2008
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2016 Election Dates," accessed December 7, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Minnesota," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Office of the Revisor of Statutes, "2006 Minnesota Statutes," accessed July 30, 2014
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
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