# Eric J. Magnuson *American lawyer; Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, 2008–2010* *Not to be confused with [[Paul A. Magnuson]], a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.*[^1][^2] Eric John Magnuson (born January 27, 1951) is a Minnesota appellate lawyer in private practice. He was Chief Justice of the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]] from 2008 to 2010.[^3][^4] Governor [[Tim Pawlenty]], his former law partner, appointed him in March 2008. He took office that June and announced in March 2010 that he would leave the court at the end of June.[^3][^5] As chief justice he sat on the State Canvassing Board for the 2008 [[United States Senate]] election in [[Minnesota]]. On May 5, 2010, he wrote the court's 4–3 opinion holding that Pawlenty had exceeded his authority when he rescinded funding passed by the [[Minnesota Legislature]].[^3] After leaving the bench he became a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP.[^3][^6] ## Education and professional background Magnuson was born in Morris, Illinois.[^3] His degrees and diplomas are: - Osseo High School in Osseo, Minnesota, 1968. - The [[University of Minnesota]] in [[Minneapolis]], 1972. - William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, 1976.[^3] In his final year of law school he clerked for Douglas Amdahl, who was then a Hennepin County district judge and later became the state's chief justice. A year later he clerked for Chief Justice [[Robert Sheran]].[^3] In 1977 Magnuson went to work at Rider Bennett, a Minneapolis law firm. He practiced appellate law in both state and federal courts. He was president of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and founded the Eighth Circuit Bar Association.[^3] From 2003 to 2008 he chaired the state Commission on Judicial Selection, a post to which Pawlenty named him. In 2007, after Rider Bennett had dissolved, he moved to Briggs & Morgan, also a Minneapolis firm.[^3] ## Judicial service On March 17, 2008, Pawlenty named Magnuson chief justice to replace [[Russell A. Anderson]], who was retiring.[^3] The appointment came in the final year of Magnuson's chairmanship of the judicial-selection commission, a post Pawlenty had also given him.[^3] Magnuson took the oath of office on June 2, 2008.[^3] During the 2008 U.S. Senate election he was a member of the State Canvassing Board.[^3] On March 11, 2010, Magnuson said he would resign as chief justice effective June 30, 2010 and go back to private practice.[^5][^3] MPR News reported the announcement under the headline *Magnuson's Tenure as Chief Justice Short, but Eventful*.[^5] His resignation letter to the governor gave "reasons personal to me and my family."[^3] Before his departure took effect, Magnuson wrote the court's opinion on May 5, 2010. By a 4–3 vote, the court held that Pawlenty had overstepped his authority by rescinding funding the Legislature had passed.[^3] The governor whose action the court rejected was the governor who had appointed Magnuson and was his former law partner.[^3] The Minnesota State Law Library keeps a biography of Magnuson and a list of the publications he produced as chief justice.[^4][^7] ## Post-Supreme Court Magnuson is a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP and teaches at the [[Humphrey School of Public Affairs]].[^3][^6] The Appellate Academy lists him as a fellow affiliated with Robins Kaplan.[^8] In 2014 the Minnesota Vikings retained Magnuson and Chris Madel to lead an independent investigation. The investigation concerned the team's termination of Chris Kluwe.[^3] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Eric J. Magnuson, Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 2008 to 2010, now a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP.[^4][^6] ### When - March 17, 2008: appointed chief justice by Governor Pawlenty.[^3] - June 2, 2008: sworn in.[^3] - March 11, 2010: announced his resignation.[^5] - May 5, 2010: wrote the 4–3 opinion against the governor's rescission of legislatively passed funding.[^3] - June 30, 2010: resignation took effect.[^3] ## See also - [[Minnesota Supreme Court]] - [[Tim Pawlenty]] - [[Paul A. Magnuson]] ## Notes [^1]: Federal Judicial Center, *Paul Arthur Magnuson* (biographical directory of federal judges) — identifies Paul Arthur Magnuson as a federal judge distinct from the subject. https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/magnuson-paul-arthur [^2]: U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, *The Honorable Paul A. Magnuson* — chambers page of the federal district judge. https://www.mnd.uscourts.gov/PAM [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Eric J. Magnuson* (rev. 1378380091, retrieved Oct. 26, 2026) — birth, education, clerkships, firms, commission chairmanship, appointment, canvassing board, resignation and letter, May 5, 2010 decision, post-court career. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_J._Magnuson [^4]: Minnesota State Law Library, *Eric J. Magnuson Biography* — biography of the former chief justice. https://mncourts.libguides.com/magnuson [^5]: MPR News, *Magnuson's Tenure as Chief Justice Short, but Eventful* (Mar. 11, 2010) — report of the resignation announcement. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/03/11/magnuson-leaving-supreme-court [^6]: Robins Kaplan LLP, *Eric J. Magnuson* (professional profile) — current firm affiliation. https://www.robinskaplan.com/professionals/eric-magnuson [^7]: Minnesota State Law Library, *Eric J. Magnuson, Chief Justice Publications List* — list of publications as chief justice. https://mncourts.libguides.com/magnuson/publications [^8]: The Appellate Academy, *Eric J. Magnuson, Robins Kaplan LLP* (fellow profile) — fellowship listing. https://www.appellateacademy.org/fellow/eric-j-magnuson-robins-kaplan-llp-3474/