David Lee Lillehaug (born May 22, 1954) is a former associate justice of the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court wa ...

. He served as the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota from 1994 to 1998.

Early life and education

Lillehaug was born in

Waverly, Iowa Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 10,394 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo– Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The sister cit ...

and raised in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, where his father taught music. He attended

Augustana College Augustana College may refer to: *Augustana College (Illinois) *Augustana University Sioux Falls, South Dakota *Augustana University College, Alberta See also *Augustana Divinity School (Neuendettelsau) The Augustana-Hochschule Neuendettelsau is ...

in Sioux Falls and graduated in 1976 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

''. He later attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, graduating in 1979 with a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

''.

United States Attorney

Lillehaug was appointed by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota beginning in 1994. He stepped down on May 22, 1998 in order to run for

Minnesota Attorney General The attorney general of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. State of Minnesota. Thirty individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Keith Ellison, a DFLer. Electi ...

1998 Minnesota Attorney General campaign

Lillehaug announced on May 27, 1998 that he was entering the race for the

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party. As of 2022, it controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota House of Represen ...

(DFL) nomination, joining already announced DFL candidates

Mike Hatch Michael Alan Hatch (born November 12, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer. He was the Attorney General of Minnesota from 1999 to 2007, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce from 1983 to 1989, and chair of the Minnesota DF ...

and

Ember Reichgott Junge Ember Reichgott Junge (born August 22, 1953) is an attorney, radio personality, and former state senator from Minnesota, representing New Hope and surrounding communities. A Democrat, she was elected to the Senate at age 29 and served for 18 y ...

. He placed second in the DFL primary that took place on September 15, 1998, losing to

2000 United States Senate campaign

On March 16, 1999, Lillehaug announced that he was entering the 2000 race for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

DFL nomination in Minnesota. He dropped out on June 3, 2000 after failing to win the DFL endorsement at the party convention that day. After withdrawing, he urged his supporters to support Minnesota State Senator

Jerry Janezich Jerry Janezich (born March 16, 1950) is a Minnesota politician, a former member of the Minnesota legislature, and a former candidate for the United States Senate. Janezich served two terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and two terms ...

, who ultimately won the party endorsement.

Minnesota Supreme Court

Lillehaug was appointed by Governor

Mark Dayton Mark Brandt Dayton (born January 26, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He was a United States Senator for Minnesota from 2001 to 2007, and the Minnesota State Auditor from 1991 to 1 ...

on March 26, 2013 to serve as an associate justice of the

, replacing retiring Justice

Paul H. Anderson Paul Holden Anderson (born May 14, 1943) is an American attorney and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He served as chief judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals from 1992 to 1994. Education Anderson was bo ...

. He began his term on June 3, 2013 and was formally invested on June 28, 2013. On June 12, 2019, Lillehaug announced a diagnosis of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

and his retirement from the court effective July 31, 2020.

Personal life

Lillehaug is married to Winifred Smith. They have one daughter and reside in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

References

External links

Judge Profile: Associate Justice David L. Lillehaug
Minnesota Judicial Branch {{DEFAULTSORT:Lillehaug, David 1954 births Living people Augustana University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court People from Edina, Minnesota Politicians from Sioux Falls, South Dakota People from Waverly, Iowa United States Attorneys for the District of Minnesota 21st-century American judges