# Patrick J. Schiltz *United States district judge in Minnesota* Patrick Joseph Schiltz (born 1960) is a federal judge in [[Minnesota]] and a former law professor. President George W. Bush appointed him to the [[United States District Court for the District of Minnesota]] in 2006.[^1] Before he joined the bench, he taught at the law schools of the University of Notre Dame and the University of St. Thomas.[^1] A validated project record, refreshed on June 18, 2026, lists Schiltz as Chief Judge of the District of Minnesota. It also lists him as one of the judges of the three-judge district court hearing the federal Title VII suit [[United States v. State of Minnesota (0:26-cv-00273)]].[^2] The Wikipedia revision retrieved on October 26, 2026 describes him as a senior district judge of the same court. Each title is stated here as of its source's date.[^1][^2] The record identifies him by his position on the court. It does not describe any ruling by him in the matter.[^2] ## Early life and education Schiltz is a native of Duluth, Minnesota, where he was raised.[^1] He earned a history degree, with a sociology minor, from the College of St. Scholastica in 1981, graduating summa cum laude. From 1981 to 1982 he worked as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator David Durenberger.[^1] At Harvard Law School he served as an editor of the *Harvard Law Review*. He received his Juris Doctor magna cum laude in 1985.[^1] ## Career From 1985 to 1986, Schiltz clerked for [[Antonin Scalia]], who was then sitting on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.[^1] Schiltz had already accepted a Supreme Court clerkship with Justice [[Sandra Day O'Connor]] for the following term. In July 1986, however, President Ronald Reagan nominated Scalia to the Supreme Court. Scalia asked Schiltz to help him prepare for the confirmation hearings and then to clerk for him in his first Supreme Court term.[^1] O'Connor gave her permission, and Schiltz clerked for Scalia at the Supreme Court from 1986 to 1987.[^1] Schiltz then practiced at Faegre & Benson in [[Minneapolis]], a firm now part of Faegre Drinker.[^1] His antitrust and contract clients included the National Football League, the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He represented the [[Star Tribune]] and other media clients in access and libel cases. He also represented the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and other religious bodies in tort and employment matters.[^1] In 1995 he left practice for the Notre Dame Law School faculty. There his courses included civil procedure, evidence and sports law.[^1] [[Amy Coney Barrett]], later a justice of the Supreme Court, was among his students at Notre Dame.[^1] ## Selected scholarly works Schiltz's law-review articles include the following:[^1] - *Legal Ethics in Decline: The Elite Law Firm, the Elite Law School, and the Moral Formation of the Novice Attorney*, *Minnesota Law Review* (1997). - *On Being a Happy, Healthy, and Ethical Member of an Unhappy, Unhealthy, and Unethical Profession*, *Vanderbilt Law Review* (1999). - *The Impact of Clergy Sexual Misconduct Litigation on Religious Liberty*, *Boston College Law Review* (2003). - Two 2005 articles on unpublished opinions, in the *Washington and Lee Law Review* and the *Fordham Law Review*. The *Vanderbilt Law Review* built a symposium around the 1999 article. A later op-ed in the [[Washington Post]] listed it among nine works every law student should read.[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who As of June 18, 2026, Schiltz is listed as Chief Judge of the District of Minnesota.[^2] He is also listed as a member of the three-judge district court in *United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273, filed in the District of Minnesota on January 14, 2026.[^2] The other judges named on that court are Circuit Judge [[Raymond W. Gruender]] and Judge [[D. Price Marshall Jr.]] of the Eastern District of Arkansas. Magistrate Judge Shannon G. Elkins is named following Foster's recusal.[^2] The suit is a [[Title VII]] challenge under §§703(a)(1) and (a)(2). It targets the Minnesota Department of Human Services Hiring/[[Pre-Hire Justification policy]] and is pleaded through *Bostock* textualism.[^2] The signed agency policy, which contains the "[[Non-underrepresented candidate]]" language, is filed as the operative Exhibit B.[^2] The record states that the suit was brought after [[Executive Order 11246]] was revoked by Executive Order 14173 on January 21, 2025. It also states that the complaint cites [[§43A.191]] eight times.[^2] The State's response was due February 27, 2026. As of the record's June 18, 2026 refresh, the case was ongoing.[^2] ### Where Schiltz sits on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota (D. Minn.).[^1][^2] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Patrick J. Schiltz* (revision 1381642682, retrieved 2026-10-26) — establishes birth, education, clerkships, law-firm and faculty career, scholarly works, 2006 appointment by President George W. Bush, and description as senior district judge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_J._Schiltz [^2]: Project record, *The Instrument No One Will Name* (densified; refreshed 2026-06-18), row [53], validated passage — establishes Schiltz's listing as "Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, D. Minn." on the three-judge district court in *United States v. State of Minnesota*, 0:26-cv-00273 (filed Jan. 14, 2026), together with the panel composition, claims, Exhibit B, the response due date and the case status. No URL for this record is in the pack's allowed list.