Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Christopher Dietzen Resigns

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice Christopher Dietzen announced Thursday that he's resigning at the end of August, giving Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton the opportunity to appoint a majority of the seven-member court.

The 69-year-old Dietzen was appointed by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2007. He joined the high court in 2008 after four years on the Minnesota Court of Appeals, following a career in private practice. His resignation is effective Aug. 31.

Three current associate justices on the Supreme Court are Dayton appointees — Margaret Chutich, Natalie Hudson and David Lillehaug. Dietzen's replacement will make four. Dayton's only other appointee to the high court was Wilhelmina Wright, who later became a federal judge.

If Dietzen had run for re-election this fall, he would have hit the mandatory retirement age of 70 next March, just two months into his term. He also could have let the voters pick his successor in the November general election. In his letter to the governor, Dietzen said he had pondered his decision for several months.

"My judgment is that having you exercise your constitutional authority to appoint my successor best serves the judicial branch and the citizens of Minnesota," Dietzen wrote.

Dietzen issued a statement thanking the citizens of Minnesota for the opportunity to serve — and his colleagues.

"The work of a justice has been both challenging and rewarding," he said. "The challenge of deciding difficult cases has been made easier by serving with exceptional colleagues. The reward is in the opportunity to participate in a collaborative decision process."

Dietzen chairs the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, which approved a plan in December to ease penalties for drug possession and drug dealing. The changes will take effect in August unless the Legislature intervenes.

Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea, another Pawlenty appointee, said Dietzen will be greatly missed.

"For more than a decade, Justice Dietzen served our court system admirably, both as a wise and thoughtful jurist, as well as a leader in our efforts to improve the administration of justice in our state," she said.

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