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Judge Matthew M. Quinn

Judge Matthew Quinn serves the Seventh Judicial District, which is made up of 10 counties that cross central Minnesota like a banner from Mille Lacs County (Milaca) on the east, to Clay County (Moorhead) on the west.  The Seventh Judicial District consists of the counties of Becker, Benton, Clay, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, Todd, and Wadena.  Judges in the Seventh Judicial District are assigned to one home county and may rotate to other counties on a regular or occasional basis.  Judge Quinn is assigned to, or "chambered in," Milaca.  The District Courts in the Seventh Judicial District are courts of General Jurisdiction, which means that all the judges hear all types of cases and do not specialize in one particular type of case or area of law.  Judge Quinn presides in all types of criminal, traffic, civil, juvenile, family, conciliation, and probate court cases.  Like every judge in Minnesota, Judge Quinn handles more than four thousand cases every year.

Appointed/Elected:

Appointed by Governor Mark Dayton on Sept. 14, 2017. Elected in 2018 and 2024. Current term expires Jan. 2031.
 

Education:

J.D. with honors, William Mitchell College of Law, 1999
B.A., Summa Cum Laude, St. Cloud State University, 1995
 

Employment History:

  • Chief Deputy Stearns County Attorney (2003-2017)
  • Adjunct professor, aviation law, St. Cloud State University (2008-2012)
  • First Assistant Mille Lacs County Attorney (2000-2003)
  • Associate attorney; Barna, Guzy & Steffen (1999-2000)

Professional Memberships (past and present):

  • Central Minnesota Child Advocacy Center Administrative Board
  • Minnesota Children’s Alliance Public Policy Committee
  • Stearns County Municipal League
  • Stearns-Benton Bar Association
  • Minnesota State Bar Association
  • Stearns County Chiefs of Police Association
  • Minnesota County Attorney’s Association
  • National District Attorney’s Association
  • Stearns County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee
  • Founding member, Stearns County Drug Court (training by National Association of Drug Court Professionals)
  • Founding member, Stearns County Felony Domestic Violence Court
  • Founding team member, Central Minnesota Child Advocacy Center

Professional Licenses:

  • Minnesota Supreme Court, 1999
  • Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, 1992