# Mathhew E. Johnson *Chief Judge of the [[Minnesota Court of Appeals]], named in this record only in official capacity.* Matthew E. Johnson is listed in the Minnesota Judicial Branch's directory of active judicial officers as Chief Judge of the [[Minnesota Court of Appeals]].[^1] This entry's title follows the source record's spelling. The judicial directory renders the given name "Matthew."[^1] The record compiled here contains no opinion, order, docket or other instrument that he authored or in which he is named. It therefore describes his office and no judicial conduct.[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Chief Judge, [[Minnesota Court of Appeals]], per the Minnesota Judicial Branch directory of active judicial officers.[^1] - An encyclopedia entry exists under the title *Matthew Johnson (judge)*. The record does not establish that it concerns the same person.[^2] ## Context: the pending federal action against the State He holds office in a State whose public-employment law is the subject of a pending federal action. On January 14, 2026, the [[United States Department of Justice]] filed *[[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]]* in the District of Minnesota under [[Title VII]] of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]. DOJ release No. 26-21 announced the filing under the title *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*. According to the release, Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^3] The complaint alleges violations of Title VII. Its documentary predicate is the State's own statute: it cites [[Minn. Stat. § 43A.191]] eight times, including subdivision 3(c)'s requirement that an agency explain the reason for hiring a non-affirmative candidate.[^4] This record shows the complaint as filed and records no ruling on it. The record does not connect the Court of Appeals or its chief judge to the action.[^4] Elsewhere in federal law, the word "regime" is applied to foreign governments. The [[Iraq Liberation Act]] of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-338) states a policy of supporting efforts to remove "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein."[^5] The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages (*[[How Minnesota Got Here]]*, note 40) finds Minnesota the only U.S. state so described. That is the catalogue's finding, not an independently established fact.[^5] ## See also - [[Minnesota Court of Appeals]] - [[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]] - [[Minn. Stat. § 43A.191]] ## Notes [^1]: Minnesota Judicial Branch, *Judicial Directory — Active Judicial Officers — Court of Appeals Judges: Matthew E. Johnson* (undated) — lists Matthew E. Johnson as Chief Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals. https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/court-of-appeals-judges/matthew-e.-johnson [^2]: Wikipedia, *Matthew Johnson (judge)* (retrieval date not recorded) — encyclopedic entry on a judge of that name; identity with the subject not established. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Johnson_(judge [^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — filing announcement, title, and the Attorney General's certification of general public importance. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, *Complaint, United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn. filed Jan. 14, 2026) — Title VII claims; cites Minn. Stat. § 43A.191 eight times, including subd. 3(c). https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^5]: U.S. Congress, *Iraq Liberation Act of 1998*, Pub. L. 105-338 (1998) — statutory use of "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein"; cited for the project's catalogue finding (*How Minnesota Got Here*, note 40). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-105publ338/pdf/PLAW-105publ338.pdf