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Sarah E. Hennesy
2024 - Present
2026
1
Sarah E. Hennesy is a judge for Seat 1 of the Minnesota Supreme Court. She assumed office on May 13, 2024. Her current term ends on January 6, 2026.
Governor Mark Dayton appointed Hennesy to the Seventh Judicial District in February 2012.[1]
Hennesy first became a member of the Minnesota Supreme Court through an appointment. Governor Tim Walz (D) first appointed her to the court in 2024 to the seat vacated by Barry Anderson. To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Biography
Hennesy received an undergraduate degree from Central College in 1991 and a J.D. from Drake Law School in 1994. Prior to her appointment, Hennesy was a civil legal aid attorney with Saint Cloud Area Legal Services. Before that, she worked in private practice with Damiani & Damiani, P.C. and as a deputy public defender with the Alexandria Public Defender's Office in Virginia.[1]
Appointments
2024
Governor Tim Walz appointed Sarah Hennesy to the Minnesota Supreme Court on April 22, 2024. She took office on May 13, 2024.[2]
Hennesy replaced Justice Barry Anderson, who retired on May 11, 2024. Anderson's replacement is Governor Walz's (D) fourth nominee to the seven-member supreme court.
In Minnesota, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.
Interim vacancies on the supreme court are filled via gubernatorial appointment. After serving for at least one year, the appointed judge can run for a full term in the next general election.[3] Other candidates may file to run against them in the election.[4]
Elections
2014
See also: Minnesota judicial elections, 2014
Hennesy ran for re-election to the Seventh Judicial District.
Primary: She ran unopposed in the primary on August 12, 2014.
General: She was unopposed in the general election on November 4, 2014.
[5]
State supreme court judicial selection in Minnesota
- See also: Judicial selection in Minnesota
The seven judges of the Minnesota Supreme Court are chosen in nonpartisan general elections to six-year terms. 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.[3]
Qualifications
Judges of the supreme court are required to be "learned in the law" and under 70 years old. Sitting judges who reach the age of 70 while in office are allowed to serve until the last day of that month.[3]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court is directly chosen by voters in a nonpartisan election. He or she serves in that capacity for a full six-year term.[3]
Vacancies
Interim vacancies on the supreme court are filled via gubernatorial appointment. After serving for at least one year, the appointed judge can run for a full term in the next general election.[3] Other candidates may file to run against them in the election.[4]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
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Officeholder Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 1 |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Sarah Hennesy appointed to Seventh Judicial District vacancy," February 2, 2012
- ↑ Minnesota Reformer, "Walz appoints two Supreme Court justices, solidifying an all DFL-appointed court ," April 22, 2024
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed September 4, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Office of the Revisor of Statutes, "Constitution of the State of Minnesota," accessed August 8, 2016
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "2014 State General Election Candidate Filings," accessed June 7, 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
