# Susan Richard Nelson *United States district judge for the District of Minnesota* Susan Beth Richard Nelson (born March 22, 1952) sits as a senior district judge on the [[United States District Court for the District of Minnesota]]. She earlier served that court as a United States magistrate judge.[^1] Before joining the bench she spent sixteen years in civil litigation in [[Minneapolis]] with Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., where she became a partner in 1988. She took the oath as a magistrate judge on June 12, 2000. President Barack Obama nominated her to the district court on April 21, 2010, and the Senate confirmed her by unanimous consent on December 17, 2010. She took senior status on December 31, 2021.[^1] ## Early life and education Nelson is a native of Buffalo, New York. She earned a Bachelor of Arts with high honors from Oberlin College in 1974 and later a Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.[^1] Her first job was at Camp Interlocken in Windsor, New Hampshire, where she was a camp counselor and waterfront director in the summers of 1973 and 1974. Later in 1974 she took a position as a bank teller at the First Federal Savings & Loan in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From January to June 1975 she waited tables at Stouffers Restaurant. That summer she was a camp counselor with the Pittsburgh YMCA.[^1] ## Career Nelson began her professional work with an unpaid internship at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. She followed it with summer associate work at Reed, Smith, Shaw & McClay in Pittsburgh from 1977 through 1980.[^1] She was an associate at Tyler, Cooper & Alcorn in New Haven, Connecticut, from 1980 to 1983. In 1984 she joined Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. in Minneapolis, [[Minnesota]], as an associate. The firm made her a partner in 1988, and she remained there until 2000. Her trial work at the firm centered on complex product liability and mass tort litigation, in Minnesota and nationally, and included the 1998 tobacco trial.[^1] From 1996 she held various positions with Minnesota Women Lawyers.[^1] ### Federal judicial service On June 12, 2000, Nelson took the oath of office as a United States magistrate judge for the District of Minnesota. The post was newly created, and she was the court's sixth magistrate judge.[^1] On November 3, 2009, Senator [[Amy Klobuchar]] recommended Nelson to President Barack Obama for a seat on the district court. Obama nominated her on April 21, 2010, to the seat vacated by [[James M. Rosenbaum]]. The Senate confirmed the nomination by unanimous consent on December 17, 2010. She received her commission five days later, on December 22, 2010.[^1] She took senior status on December 31, 2021.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Susan Richard Nelson* (revision 1348407309, retrieved 2026-10-26) — establishes birth date and place, education, early employment, law-firm career, magistrate appointment (June 12, 2000), recommendation (November 3, 2009), nomination (April 21, 2010), confirmation (December 17, 2010), commission (December 22, 2010) and senior status (December 31, 2021). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Richard_Nelson