Assistant Chief Judge Mark J. Kappelhoff

Appointed/Elected:

Appointed July 1, 2016, by Governor Mark Dayton. Elected in 2018. Current term expires Jan. 2025.

Education:

J.D., American University, Washington College of Law
B.S., St. John’s University

Past Employment:

Associate Clinical Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School
Special Counsel, Civil Rights Division, Office of the Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Office of the Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
Chief, Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
Special Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota
Assistant Public Defender, Maryland Office of the Public Defender

Professional Activities:

Adjunct Professor, Univeristy of Minnesota Law School
(co-teach Human Trafficking seminar)
Member, Hennepin County Bar Association
Member, Hennepin County Bar Association Diversity
and Inclusion Committee
Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
Member, Warren E. Burger Inn of Court
Former Board Member, University of Minnesota Law School
Academic Engagement Committee, 2012-13
Former Member, American Bar Association, Standing Committee on
Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants, Advisory Group on
the Language Access Project, 2010-2011

Court Leadership Positions:

Member, Statewide Strategic Planning Committee
Member and Former Chair, Hennepin County District Court
Equal Justice Committee
Member, Statewide Committee on Equality and Justice
Member, Children’s Justice Initiative Advisory Committee
(Chair, Mental Health Subcommitee)
Tri-Chair, Youth Justice Council, 2020-2023
Presiding Judge, Juvenile Division, 2021-2023
Delegate, Minnesota District Judges Association, 2017-2022

Community Activities:

Member, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, MN Girls Are Not For Sale Committee, 2013-2016
Board Member, 180 Degrees, Inc., 2013-2016
Board Member, Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, 2005

Awards:

Presidential Rank Award, Senior Executive Service, Meritorious Executive, 2010

United States Department of Justice:

Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, 2015
Attorney General’s John Marshall Award, 2010
Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, 2003
Director’s Award for Superior Performance, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, 2003
Meritorious Award, Civil Rights Division, 2001 & 2002
Special Achievement Award, Civil Rights Division, 1999 & 2000

Assignment History:

Criminal - July 2016 to June 2018
Juvenile Division – July 1, 2018 to February 2024
(Presiding Judge 2021-2023)
Criminal Division - February 2024 to present