# James H. Gilbert *American attorney; justice of the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]] from 1998 to 2004* James H. Gilbert (born March 11, 1947) is a Minnesota lawyer and former associate justice of the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]]. He sat on the Court from January 1998 to August 2004.[^1] [[Arne Carlson]], then [[governor]], named him to the Court in 1998. Gilbert won election to the seat in 2000 with 69% of the statewide vote.[^1] Before joining the Court, Gilbert practiced law in [[Minneapolis]] from 1972 to 1998. From 1992 to 1997 he chaired the Judicial Merit Selection Commission for the State of Minnesota.[^1] In 2008 the Supreme Court recalled him as Acting Chief Justice for a contested election case. He later headed a practice devoted to mediation and alternative dispute resolution.[^1] ## Early life and education Born on March 11, 1947, Gilbert was raised in [[Minneapolis]] and in Edina, [[Minnesota]].[^1] At the [[University of Minnesota]] he earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science, with an economics minor, in 1969. He took his Juris Doctor from the [[University of Minnesota Law School]] in 1972.[^1] ## Career From 1972 to 1998 Gilbert practiced in Minnesota with the Minneapolis firm Meshbesher and Spence, Ltd., where he became a shareholder. He was its managing partner from 1984 to 1992 and its chief executive officer from 1996 to 1997.[^1] He held a Wisconsin law license from 1984 to 2007 and was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court in 1988. The [[Minnesota State Bar Association]] certified him as a Civil Trial Specialist from 1997 through 2003.[^1] His professional memberships include the American Bar Association and the state bar association, and he holds life membership in The Fellows of the American Bar Association.[^1] Carlson's 1998 appointment seated Gilbert as an associate justice in January of that year. In the 2000 election he received 69% of the statewide vote, and he remained on the Court until August 2004.[^1] In 2008 the Minnesota Supreme Court appointed him Acting Chief Justice, serving from August to September, to hear a contested election case.[^1] Gilbert joined the Judicial Merit Selection Commission for the State of Minnesota in 1991 and chaired it from 1992 to 1997.[^1] His later posts included chair of the Minnesota Supreme Court Standing Committee for Administration of No-Fault Arbitration (2004–2008) and hearing chair for the Minnesota News Council (2005–2012). He also held a seat on the Minnesota D.A.R.E. State Board of Directors (1998–2007).[^1] The Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers of Minnesota gave him its Distinguished Jurist Award in 2004.[^1] As of the cited revision, retrieved in October 2026, Gilbert was president of Gilbert Mediation Center, Ltd., and of the James H. Gilbert Law Group, PLLC. Both firms focus on alternative dispute resolution.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *James H. Gilbert* (revision 1374575343, retrieved 2026-10-26) — establishes birth date, upbringing, education, private practice, bar admissions and certification, appointment by Governor Arne Carlson in 1998, 2000 election with 69% of the statewide vote, tenure from January 1998 to August 2004, 2008 service as Acting Chief Justice, commission and board roles, the 2004 award, and current firms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_H._Gilbert