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Senior Judge Carol Hooten
Senior Judge Carol Hooten

Appointed/Elected:

Elected in 2002 and 2008 as Scott County District Court Judge.

Appointed to the Court of Appeals by Governor Mark Dayton on June 1, 2012. Elected in 2014 and 2020. 

Retired on Nov. 30, 2021. Appointed to serve as Court of Appeals Senior Judge through June 30, 2025.

Education:

  • J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, 1978
  • B.A., summa cum laude, Major: Developmental Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 1973

Admissions:

  • State of Minnesota, September 19, 1978
  • United States District Court, November 6, 1978
  • State of Wisconsin, February 10, 1987

Employment:

  • Minnesota Court of Appeals (2012-Nov. 30, 2021)
  • District Court Judge, First Judicial District, Scott County (2003-12)
  • Carol A. Hooten Law Firm (1991-2002)
  • Arbitrator with American Arbitration Association (2001-02)
  • Bassford, Heckt, Lockhart, Truesdell & Briggs, P.A. (1987-91)
  • Jardine, Logan & O'Brien (1978-86)
  • Law Clerk for Judge Jonathan Lebedoff, Hennepin County District Court (1976-78)

Professional Associations:

  • Minnesota State Bar Association
  • Dakota County Bar Association
  • Minnesota District Judges Association
  • Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society
  • Twin Cities Cardozo Society

Professional Committees:

  • Chair of the Family Law Appellate Mediation Program Committee
  • Court of Appeals Representative, Minnesota State Bar Association
  • Member, Judiciary Committee of Minnesota State Bar Association

Past Professional Committees:

  • First District Guardian ad Litem Advisory Committee
  • Minnesota State Family Law Committee
  • Chair, Scott County Children's Justice Initiative
  • Chair, Scott County, Juvenile Justice Coordinating Committee
  • Member of Juvenile Delinquency Rules Committee

Educational Outreach:

  • Presenter, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Advanced Family Law Series, Minnesota’s Family Law Appellate Mediation Program: Why Some Cases Settle and Others Don’t, November 19, 2019
  • Presenter, Hennepin County Bar Association CLE: Family Court Appeals: What You Need to Know, November 8, 2017
  • Judge, Semi-final Round, University of Minnesota Law School’s Maynard Persig Moot Court Competition, March 5, 2018
  • Presenter, Minnesota CLE and Minnesota State Bar Association Appellate Practice Section, 12th Annual Appellate Practice Institute, The Process of Appellate Decision Making, March 16, 2018
  • Judge for Final Round, University of Minnesota Law School’s Maynard Pirsig Moot Court Tournament, March 13, 2014
  • Judge, American Mock Trial Association (AMTA), Hamline University and Macalester College for the St. Paul Regional Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournament, February 16, 2014
  • Presenter, Public Defender Appellate Pro Bono Program, MSBA Appellate Practice Section, November 22, 2013
  • Presenter, Minnesota State Bar Association's Nine Days in June and the First Judicial District at Brackett’s Crossing in Lakeville, Appellate Case Update, June 13, 2013
  • Former adjunct professor, William Mitchell College of Law, Legal Practicum, Spring 2013 - Spring 2015
  • Faculty member, The 7th Annual Appellate Practice Institute, First Impressions from the Newer Justices and Judges, Spring 2013
  • Judge for Final Round, ABA Law Student Division Region 7, Negotiation Competition, Fall 2013
  • Presenter, Minnesota State Bar Association’s Nine Days in June and the First Judicial District at Brackett’s Crossing in Lakeville, Appellate Case Update, June 12, 2014
  • Annual speaker, Senior High Social Study Students, Discussing the Minnesota Judicial System and its relationship to other branches of government, Norwood Young America