Law School Mourns the Passing of Judge Thomas B. Poch ’67

Thomas B. Poch ’67, who served for 15 years as a judge in Minnesota’s 1st Judicial District and as an assistant Ramsey County attorney for nearly three decades before that, died peacefully in his sleep at Breck Homes in Bloomington on March 15. He was 77 and had been diagnosed with dementia.

Poch joined the office of the Ramsey County Attorney shortly after earning his J.D. from the Law School. During his 29 years in that office, he headed up the Criminal Division and the Crimes Against Persons Unit, among other leadership roles.

In 1996, Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson appointed Poch to the 1st District bench. He won reelection in 1998 and 2004, and, following his retirement in 2011, he served as a senior judge on the court. His proudest accomplishments included establishing the Dakota County Peer Court, presiding over tens of thousands of court cases, officiating at hundreds of weddings, and finalizing many adoptions.

Poch also received a direct commission in the Naval Reserve as a judge advocate general, and was later appointed a military judge in the Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary. He retired as a Navy captain in 1998 and subsequently volunteered as a Blue & Gold Officer for the U.S. Naval Academy. His time in the Reserve was spent on aircraft carriers, in Navy and Marine courtrooms, and traveling internationally to teach courtroom security. An avid skier, Poch was a member of the National Ski Patrol for 47 years.