U.S. District Judge Wright to retire in February

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U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright has informed President Joe Biden that she intends to retire from her position effective Feb. 15, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota announced Nov. 30.

“I have so appreciated my tenure as a federal trial judge since my appointment by President Obama,” Wright said in a statement. “The work has been challenging and rewarding. I have enjoyed working closely with my terrific staff and my dedicated colleagues. Ensuring justice for all has been the goal of my career and I have worked every day for justice in this remarkable job.

“Now, after a long career in public service, I have decided that the time is right to focus on other ways to serve. My husband has retired, and I am also looking forward to spending more time with him and with our daughter.”

Wright was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016 and is the first Black woman to be appointed to the federal court in Minnesota. Prior to that appointment, she served as a state district court judge, an appellate court judge and as a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Gov. Jesse Ventura appointed Wright to Ramsey County District Court in 2000, and to the Minnesota Court of Appeals in 2002. In 2012, Gov. Mark Dayton’s appointment made Wright the first Black woman to serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Wright is a native of Norfolk, Virginia, and a graduate of Harvard Law School. Following law school, she clerked for Court of Appeals Judge Damon Keith in Michigan, worked for an international law firm in Washington, D.C., and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Minnesota.

Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, in a statement, said, “Judge Wright is a remarkable public servant and a brilliant jurist. Her exemplary service to the Minnesota judicial system will not soon be matched. I was privileged to serve with Judge Wright for over 10 years on the Minnesota Court of Appeals and briefly on the Supreme Court. The work of both courts was buoyed by her keen intellect, integrity, common sense, and grace.”

United States Senior District Judge Michael J. Davis commented, “Judge Mimi Wright is an outstanding member of United States District Court of Minnesota. Judge Wright has handled some of the most complex civil and criminal trials in our district. She is a compassionate and brilliant jurist. I am so proud to be a friend and colleague of Judge Wright.”

Former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Lillehaug added, “In 1995, I had the easiest decision of my career: whether to hire Mimi Wright as an Assistant U.S. Attorney before anyone else could snap her up. I watched with awe as she surmounted all barriers to serve with distinction in an unprecedented four judicial offices. In Judge Wright, intelligence, integrity, and grace come together.”

Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, in a statement, said, “Judge Wright has been a wonderful colleague and close friend who has served with great distinction as a United States District Judge. On behalf of the federal court in Minnesota, I want to thank Judge Wright for her outstanding service to the people of Minnesota and the nation. It has been a great honor to serve with her. Judge Wright is exceptionally talented, and she has a well-earned reputation as a fair, reasonable, and dedicated judge. All of us federal judges have been privileged to work with her during the latest chapter of her extraordinary career. Our Court will really miss her as she retires from federal service.”