# Karl Procaccini *American lawyer and associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court* Karl Procaccini (born February 1, 1983) is an associate justice of the [[Minnesota Supreme Court]]. Governor [[Tim Walz]] appointed him to the Court in 2023, and voters returned him for a full six-year term in 2024.[^1] Before joining the Court, Procaccini clerked for two federal judges, practiced law at a Minneapolis-area firm, taught at two law schools, and was general counsel in the office of the [[governor]].[^1] ## Education Procaccini was raised in Mystic, Connecticut. He went to public schools there and finished at Robert E. Fitch Senior High School.[^1] At Harvard College he earned a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude. He also holds a Master of Laws in international and comparative law from The American University in Cairo. In 2010 he completed a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, at Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the *Harvard Human Rights Journal*.[^1] ## Career His first legal positions were clerkships with Judge [[Diana E. Murphy]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit]] and with Chief Judge [[Michael J. Davis]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Minnesota]].[^1] He subsequently became a partner at Greene Espel PLLP. His work there involved business and commercial disputes, handled both in court and in arbitration, as well as advice to clients on internal investigations and global compliance.[^1] During his years in private practice he took on pro bono matters, providing legal services without charge, and the [[Minnesota State Bar Association]] recognized that work on several occasions.[^1] Procaccini taught law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and at William Mitchell College of Law, which no longer exists under that name, and was general counsel in the governor's office before his appointment. He was named a 2020 Minnesota Attorney of the Year for his public service. In 2021 the Public Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association gave him its Public Attorney Award of Excellence.[^1] ### Professional and community involvement Procaccini has been the leader of the bar association's International Business Law Section. He volunteers in the Reader/Writer program, coaching writing for students in [[Minneapolis]] Public Schools, and was a mentor in the externship program of the University of St. Thomas School of Law.[^1] For more than ten years he was a leader of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter of the American Constitution Society, sitting on its executive board and its board of advisers.[^1] ## Appointment to Minnesota Supreme Court Governor Walz announced Procaccini's appointment to the Court on August 23, 2023. Procaccini then won election to a full six-year term in 2024.[^1] ## Personal life Procaccini's wife, Nayla Hamdi, is a psychologist with the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.[^1] From 2005 to 2007 the couple lived in Egypt, where Procaccini taught band and history while completing his master's degree at The American University in Cairo.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Karl Procaccini* (revision 1381401551, retrieved 2026-10-26) — birth date, education, clerkships, private practice, teaching, general counsel service, awards, 2023 appointment by Governor Walz and 2024 election, and personal life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Procaccini