Peter Raukar (Minnesota 6th District Court Position 6, Minnesota, candidate 2024)

Peter Raukar

Nonpartisan

Candidate, Minnesota 6th District Court Position 6

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 13, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

The University of St. Thomas, 1999

Law

Rutgers School of Law, 2004

Personal

Birthplace

Minneapolis, Minn.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Peter Raukar ran for election for judge of the Minnesota 6th District Court Position 6. He was on the ballot in the primary on August 13, 2024.^[source]

Raukar completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Peter Raukar provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 11, 2024:

• Birth date: March 6, 1976
• Birth place: Minneapolis, Minnesota
• High school: Hibbing High School
• Bachelor's: The University of St. Thomas, 1999
• J.D.: Rutgers School of Law, 2004
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Christian
• Profession: Attorney
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: Rauk The Vote. Faith in the future, and the courage to be a part of it.
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook
• LinkedIn

Elections

General election

General election for Minnesota 6th District Court Position 6

Gunnar B. Johnson and Shawn Reed ran in the general election for Minnesota 6th District Court Position 6 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Gunnar B. Johnson (Nonpartisan)
		Shawn Reed (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Minnesota 6th District Court Position 6

Gunnar B. Johnson, Peter Raukar, Shawn Reed, John B. Schulte, and Gerald K. Wallace ran in the primary for Minnesota 6th District Court Position 6 on August 13, 2024.

		Candidate
		Gunnar B. Johnson (Nonpartisan)
		Peter Raukar (Nonpartisan)
		Shawn Reed (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	John B. Schulte (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Gerald K. Wallace (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Raukar in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Peter Raukar completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Raukar's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a native of Hibbing, MN, and currently reside in Hermantown, MN, with my wife Nicole and my two teenage children, Quinn and Piper.

I obtained my B.A. from the University of St. Thomas, and my J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, where I graduated with honors. I started my legal career at the Michigan Court of Appeals, where I clerked for the Honorable Christopher M. Murray, assisting the Court with writing hundreds of opinions in criminal and civil matters.

I returned to Minnesota in 2010, working at two law firms, including Thibodeau, Johnson & Feriancek (d/b/a Trial Group North) where I am a partner. I primarily practice civil litigation defense work, defending insured businesses in personal injury matters, employment law matters, product liability matters, and real estate disputes. I also do collection work for various clients.

I am an engaged citizen that cares about my community. I have actively volunteered (and continue to volunteer) in our community as a coach, an investigator for the Eleventh District Ethics Committee, and a board member for numerous non-profit boards (including being the chair of the Volunteer Attorney Program, the past president of HYSA, and a committee chair for Udac). I have done volunteer legal work for the Volunteer Attorney Program, the Children's Law Center and the Public Defender's office.

I now want to attempt to have a further positive impact on our community by being a fair and impartial judge.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• As someone that has been studying or practicing law for half of my life, I believe it is especially important that we have a strong judiciary. Judges have a significant impact on our communities by making important decisions relating to criminal charges, children in need of protection matters, custody matters, and civil disputes amongst citizens and businesses, to name a few. Having practiced before over 100 judges as a civil litigator, spoken with many district court and appellate court judges about their jobs, and spent several years working for the Michigan Court of Appeals where I assisted the Court in writing hundreds of opinions in various civil and criminal matters, I know the qualities that are needed to be a good judge.
• I believe I possess the qualities that are needed to be a good judge. I have the open mindedness and well-rounded understanding of the law to consider the position and arguments on each side of any given matter that would come before me. I also have the patience, demeanor, and right temperament to work through matters with prosecutors, public defenders, and private counsel, as well as to help guide pro se litigants through what can be an intimidating process. If elected, I promise I will treat everyone who comes before me with respect and fairness. I also promise that I will utilize my passion and drive to put in the time and energy needed to be the judge the great citizens of the Sixth Judicial District deserve.
• Please visit raukarmn.com, and/or the campaign's Facebook page (Raukar for Minnesota) or my LinkedIn page (Peter Raukar) to learn more about me. I hope you will vote for Raukar during the August 13th primary. Thank you for your consideration, and if you have any specific questions I can answer, please send an email to raukarmn@gmail.com.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe a district court judge’s job is to interpret and fairly apply the law as written to the admissible evidence presented to the court, not to create or change the law. A trial court judge needs to apply the law as written regardless of whether he or she disagrees with the law. For this reason, I do not believe that a trial court judge’s views on political (or other issues) are important from a professional standpoint.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

First and foremost, a successful trial court judge needs to be a good listener who approaches each matter with an open mind. A good judge also needs to have a well-rounded understanding of the law, needs to be willing to put in the time and effort needed to be prepared for each matter the court hears, and needs to have the humility to ask questions when needed. Last but not least, a good judge needs to have the right temperament, so he or she can exercise patience, and treat everybody with respect and fairness.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have the open mindedness and well-rounded understanding of the law to consider the position and arguments on each side of any given matter that would come before me. I also have the patience, demeanor, and right temperament to work through matters with prosecutors, public defenders, and private counsel, as well as to help guide pro se litigants through what can be an intimidating process. I have the passion and drive that will allow me to put in the required energy and work that are needed for this demanding position.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

A district court judge’s job is to interpret and fairly apply the law as written to the admissible evidence presented to the court, not to create or change the law. A trial

court judge needs to apply the law as written regardless of whether he or she disagrees with

the law.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was an umpire for little league baseball games for two summers. I don't recall exactly how old I was, but I know that I was not old enough to drive.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"I Am a Patriot" by Jackson Browne. I had it on my playlist for the Fourth of July parade, so I recall hearing it at the parade.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Yes, people come from all types of backgrounds and situations, and being empathetic is one, of many, considerations that should be taken into account to help understand a situation. That said, a judge still needs to apply the law as written to the admissible evidence before the judge.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am an engaged citizen who cares about my community. I have actively volunteered (and continue to volunteer) in our community as a coach, board member for numerous non-profit boards, and an investigator for the Ethics Committee. I have also done pro bono work for clients on my own, as well as through various organizations. I now want to attempt to have a further positive impact on our community on a daily basis through my profession, by utilizing my skill set to be a fair and impartial judge.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

I don't believe it is necessary for a trial court judge to have previous experience in government or politics, but those experiences could be helpful (as could other experiences)

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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