Chief Judge John R. Tunheim ’80 to Deliver 2022 Commencement Address

Hon. John R. Tunheim, chief judge of U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, will be the keynote speaker at the Law School’s 2022 commencement exercises.

Judge Tunheim has served with the U.S. District Court since 1995. Born and raised in Newfolden, Minnesota, he graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead and worked as a staff assistant to Senator Hubert H. Humphrey before enrolling at the Law School, where he served as president of the Minnesota Law Review.

After graduating cum laude, Tunheim clerked for U.S. District Judge Earl Larson ’35 and worked in private practice. He was appointed Minnesota's solicitor general in 1985 and its chief deputy attorney general in 1986, a post he held until his appointment to the federal bench.

From 1994-98, Tunheim chaired the Assassination Records Review Board, the independent agency charged with overseeing the collection and release of records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Tunheim has also served on numerous judicial conference committees, including as Chair of the Committee on Court Administration  and as the Eighth Circuit District Judge Member of the Judicial Conference. He has worked in over forty countries helping develop the rule of law in emerging democracies.

In 2010, Tunheim was presented with the University of Minnesota Outstanding Achievement Award, conferred on alumni who have attained unusual distinction in their chosen fields and have demonstrated strong leadership at the community, state, national, or international level.

In 2015, Tunheim assumed office as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. He has taught federal and state constitutional law as an adjunct faculty member at the Law School, and has served as a member of the Law School’s Board of Advisors.

The Law School’s 134^th Commencement exercises will be held Saturday, May 14, at Northrop. (Details available here.)