Board drops complaint after judge agrees to retire

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The Minnesota Board of Judicial Standards has dismissed a complaint filed in July against District Court Judge Jennifer K. Fischer after she agreed to retire.

Fischer was appointed in 2013 to serve on Minnesota’s 8th Judicial District bench. She has been chambered in Kandiyohi County.

In January 2023, Fischer entered into a Deferred Disposition Agreement with the board after engaging in misconduct such as asking a juvenile if she should “get the duct tape out.” An investigation by the Supreme Court Administrator’s Office also revealed that Fischer apparently spoke about sexual topics in the presence of court staff. Fischer was required to successfully meet the requirements of the agreement, after which she would receive a private admonition. Fischer was prohibited from retaliating against any person who reported the misconduct or cooperated with the board’s investigation.

However, Fischer submitted complaints to the board about Chief Judge Stephanie Beckman, alleging that Beckman seemed impaired at an investiture and broke nine rules of the Code of Judicial Conduct. The board found that there was no reasonable cause to believe that there was misconduct by Beckman.

The board also stated that Fischer violated the agreement by failing to remain impartial and having inappropriate demeanor in several cases. She reportedly told a minor’s mother, “You are not special. Even with breast cancer.”

Fischer had replied to the formal complaint, claiming that she had not violated any ethical or professional standards in her interactions with court staff. She also denied that she engaged in retaliation, claiming that “allegations are not supported by law or fact and constitute retaliation for protected conduct.”

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Rather, Fischer asserted that her conduct “has been guided by the principles of justice and the duty to protect and defend the Constitution so that its protections are available to all people coming before her court.”

Fischer had also raised affirmative defenses, including coercion and disability retaliation.

The matter will end now with the decision to retire. In a notice filed Sept. 3, the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards stated that it would dismiss the complaint due to Fischer agreeing to retire.

“Pursuant to Rule 13(b) of the Rules of Board on Judicial Standards, the Board and Judge Jennifer Kurud Fischer have entered into an agreed-upon disposition that the Board was authorized to impose and, based on Judge Fischer’s agreement to retire, the Board hereby dismisses the Formal Complaint. Accordingly, the Board respectfully requests that this Court terminate the proceedings before the hearing panel.”

A retirement date has not been announced. Her current term was set to expire in January 2027.