Laura Thomas (Minnesota)

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Laura Thomas

Nonpartisan

Minnesota 4th District Court Position 51

Tenure

2020 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

5

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Appointed

May 14, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

University of St. Thomas, 1993

Law

Loyola University Chicago School of Law, 1996

Laura Thomas is a judge for Position 51 of the Minnesota Fourth Judicial District. She assumed office on June 30, 2020. Her current term ends on January 1, 2029.

Thomas ran for re-election for the Position 51 judge of the Minnesota Fourth Judicial District. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Thomas was appointed to the court by Gov. Tim Walz (D) on May 14, 2020, to replace retiring judge Ivy Bernhardson when she left the court on June 30, 2020.

Biography

At the time of her appointment to the court, Thomas was teaching as a clinical law professor and serving as the director of law clinics at the University of Minnesota Law School. The following is an outline of Thomas' education and career.

Education

• B.A. in political science, University of St. Thomas (1993)
• J.D., Loyola University Chicago School of Law (1996)

Career

• 2020–Present: Judge, Minnesota Fourth Judicial District
• 2007-2020:Clinical Professor, University of Minnesota Law School
• 2002-2014: Solo practitioner
• 2003-2009: Part-time court conciliation referee, Minnesota Fourth Judicial District
• 1999-2001: Associate attorney, Rider, Bennett, LLP
• 1997-1999: Associate attorney, Hanson, Marek, Bolkcom & Greene
• 1996-1997: Judicial law clerk, Minnesota Seventh Judicial District

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Hennepin County, Minnesota (2022)

General election

General election for Minnesota 4th District Court Position 51

Incumbent Laura Thomas won election in the general election for Minnesota 4th District Court Position 51 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Laura Thomas (Nonpartisan)	99.1	224,792
		Other/Write-in votes	0.9	2,154

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 226,946
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Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

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Laura Thomas did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

2022 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Footnotes

Minnesota courts

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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