Edward J. Cleary (’77) Reappointed Chief Judge of Minnesota Court of Appeals

Governor Mark Dayton has reappointed Edward J. Cleary (’77) as chief judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Cleary was first named to the Court of Appeals in 2011, and was its appointed chief judge in 2013. His second term in that role will begin Nov. 1 of this year and expire on Oct. 31, 2019.

“Chief Judge Cleary has demonstrated a strong commitment to Minnesota throughout his career and as a member of the judiciary,” Dayton said in announcing Cleary’s reappointment. “I thank him for his past service and willingness to continue working on behalf of the people of Minnesota.”

Cleary, who was a practicing attorney for 20 years, is a past director of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility. As an attorney, he successfully argued a case before the United States Supreme Court; his 1994 book on that case, Beyond the Burning Cross: A Landmark Case of Race, Censorship, and the First Amendment, won the American Library Association’s Oboler Memorial Award, which honors the nation’s best work on intellectual freedom. He is a past president of the Ramsey County Bar Association and served on the Minnesota State Bar Association Governing Council. Cleary also served as an adjunct professor at the Law School from 2000 to 2012.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals handles most of the appeals from the final decisions of trial courts, state agencies, and local governments. It is composed of judges who represent each of Minnesota’s eight congressional districts as well as 11 judges who serve in an at-large capacity.