Judge Lois Conroy
Appointed/Elected:
Elected in 2012. Current term expires in January 2031.
Judicial Service:
Judge Lois Conroy joined the Fourth Judicial District on January 7, 2013, after winning an election for an open seat. Her assignments have included:
- Civil, 2021-present
- Personal Felony (aka violent crimes), 2019-2021
- Drug and Property Court (felony drug, property, and white-collar crimes), 2014-2015 and 2018-2019
- Juvenile Court (child protection and delinquency), 2015-2018
- Downtown Criminal Court (misdemeanors), 2013-2014
Prior Professional Experience:
Judge Conroy has been interpreting, applying, practicing, or enforcing the law for the last 20 years. Her election to the bench ended her public service as a prosecutor of chronic-offender crime with the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, where she led a holistic crime-fighting program, the Downtown 100. The Downtown 100 focused on bringing together law enforcement and social services providers to address the causes of criminal behavior. This work led to a 72% reduction in chronic offender crime in a single year. Under her leadership, the Downtown 100 received both national and international recognition from the American Prosecutor’s Association and the International Chiefs’ of Police.
While serving as a prosecutor, Judge Conroy was deputized by County Attorneys Amy Klobuchar and Mike Freeman to prosecute felony crimes on behalf of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office including serve on the Hennepin County Drug Prosecution Team. Judge Conroy also taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School.
Before joining the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, Judge Conroy externed in United State District Court for the Honorable James Rosenbaum and worked as an associate general counsel for a private Minnesota corporation in 1997-98.
Education:
Judge Conroy received a J.D. with honors from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1997 and a B.A. with honors and distinction from the University of Minnesota, Morris (UMM) in 1994. While at UMM, Conroy was elected Student Body President and awarded the Alan W. Edson award, which is presented annually to recognize outstanding achievement, scholarship, leadership, and character.
Judge Conroy also attended the Engalitcheff Institute on Comparative Political and Economic System at Georgetown University, Washington D.C. in 1993.