News Item
Commissioner Lucinda E. Jesson and Tracy M. Smith Appointed to Minnesota Court of Appeals
Posted: Friday, December 4, 2015
Appointments fill vacancies created by the appointment of the Honorable Natalie E. Hudson to the Minnesota Supreme Court, and the retirement of the Honorable John P. Smith
Governor Mark Dayton today announced his appointments of Lucinda E. Jesson and Tracy M. Smith to serve on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Commissioner Jesson and Ms. Smith will fill two at-large vacancies, replacing the Honorable Natalie E. Hudson, who was appointed earlier this year to the Minnesota Supreme Court; and the Honorable John P. Smith, upon his retirement from the Court of Appeals, which is effective February 2, 2016.
About Lucinda E. Jesson
Lucinda E. Jesson has served as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services since her appointment by Governor Dayton in 2011. In that role, Commissioner Jesson managed a $36 billion budget, 6,200 state employees, and state programs serving more than 1 million Minnesotans. During her time as commissioner, she championed cost-saving reforms and better-quality services for Minnesotans.
“Lucinda Jesson has done a superb job managing Minnesota’s largest state agency,” said Governor Dayton. “I am deeply grateful to Ms. Jesson for her outstanding service to the people of Minnesota, and have the utmost confidence in her judgment. Her impeccable qualifications for this position speak for themselves. I am certain she will bring the same measure of excellence to the Minnesota Court of Appeals as she has demonstrated during her service at the Department of Human Services.”
Prior to her appointment as commissioner, Ms. Jesson was an Associate Professor of Law at Hamline University, and a partner at Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly, LLP. Ms. Jesson also previously served as Chief Deputy County Attorney for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and the Deputy Attorney General in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
“Public service has been the cornerstone of my career, from my work as chief deputy in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to being commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services,” said Commissioner Jesson. “I am grateful for this new opportunity to serve the people of Minnesota.”
Commissioner Jesson serves on the executive committee of the Olmstead Subcabinet and is the Co-Chair of the Children’s Justice Initiative, the Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness, Task Force on Health Care Financing, and the Governor’s Task Force on Child Protection. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Arkansas and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
About Tracy M. Smith
Tracy M. Smith currently serves as Deputy General Counsel for the University of Minnesota, where she is responsible for representing the University in general litigation in state and federal district and appellate courts. In this role, Ms. Smith has provided legal services for the University, managing a wide range of legal issues, including employment law, constitutional law, antitrust and business tort claims, and more.
“Throughout her career, Tracy Smith has managed an impressive variety of complex legal issues,” said Governor Dayton. “From representing Minnesota’s largest university, to representing the State of Minnesota and its agencies in the Office of the Attorney General, Ms. Smith’s professional legal experiences have prepared her for success on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. I am confident she will be an exceptional judge.”
Previously, Ms. Smith served as Associate General Counsel for the University of Minnesota. She also served as Assistant Attorney General in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, where she represented the State of Minnesota in consumer fraud investigations and lawsuits, worked on civil antitrust investigations, and handled a number of criminal appeals. Ms. Smith also served as judicial law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
"Service on the court of appeals is a great privilege,” said Tracy M. Smith. “I am honored to have the opportunity and mindful of the solemn obligation all judges have to the people they serve."
Ms. Smith is actively engaged with the Minneapolis Public Schools, volunteering at Southwest High School and having served on the Minneapolis Public Schools Advisory Committee on Global Languages and the Minneapolis Kids Advisory Board. She has also volunteered as a teacher for English language learners at Neighborhood House in Saint Paul. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Georgetown University and her Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School.