Senior Judge Lyonel Norris
Senior Judge Lyonel Norris

Appointed/Elected:

Appointed by Governor Mark Dayton, effective Aug. 8, 2011. Elected in 2012. 

Retired Sept. 1, 2017. 

Appointed as a referee in Hennepin County from January 31, 2022, until January 31, 2023.

Appointed and assigned to serve statewide as Senior Judge from April 19, 2023, to June 30, 2025.

Education:

University of Minnesota, J.D., 1983
Carleton College, B.A., 1977

Employment:

Assistant Federal Defender, 2002-2011

Director, Office of Equity, Minnesota Department of Education, 2000-2002

State Public Defender, 1995-2000

Assistant State Public Defender, 1991-1994

Law Clerk, Honorable Michael J. Davis, 1983-1985 (State), 1994-1995 (Federal)

Professional and Community Activities:

Board of Directors, Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater, Minneapolis, 2002-2004

Board of Directors, Children's Law Center, Minneapolis, 1993-1996

Board of Directors, Central Minnesota Legal Services, Minneapolis, 1993-1998

Member, Hospital Review Board, Anoka Metropolitan Regional Treatment Center, 1992-1996

Board of Directors, American Youth Work Center, Washington, D.C., 1988-present

Member, Minneapolis Advisory Council on Disabilities, 1989-1991

Additional Information:

Adjunct Professor, Department of Criminal Justice and Forensic Studies, Hamline University, 1999-2008

Adjunct Faculty, Criminal Appeals Clinic, William Mitchell College of Law, Spring 1998

Supervising Attorney, Civil Practice Clinic, University of Minnesota Law School, 1989-1990

Assignments:

Criminal, March 6, 2017-Sept. 1, 2017
Juvenile, February 3, 2014-March 5, 2017
Criminal, August 2012-January 31, 2014