Grant Barry Anderson (born October 24, 1954) is a former associate justice of the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the 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 was first assemb ...

. He previously served as a member of the

Minnesota Court of Appeals The Minnesota Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It began operating on November 1, 1983. Jurisdiction The Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over most appeals from the State court (United State ...

Early life and education

Anderson was born on October 24, 1954, and grew up in

Mankato, Minnesota Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Blue Earth, Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet, and Le Sueur County, Minnesota, Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The ...

. He is a 1976 graduate of

Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavu ...

, receiving a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

, ''

magna 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 Sout ...

'', and a 1979 graduate of the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Pa ...

, receiving a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

. Anderson was a general-practice lawyer in Fairmont and then in Hutchinson, where he served as city attorney for over a decade. He is certified as a civil trial specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association and is an experienced trial lawyer, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of cases.

Career

Anderson’s background includes service as chairman of the Board of Directors of Hutchinson Community Video Network, a local public-access television effort, two terms as President of the Hutchinson Rotary Club, and other community activities. More recently he has served as a member of the Minnesota Valley YMCA Community Board of Directors, as a youth athletics coach, and as a national judge of the “We the People” high school civics competition. Anderson has also served as the moderator of Pioneer PBS's "Your Legislators" for over 20 years. Anderson is a frequent contributor to continuing legal education efforts and has lectured on the use of expert witnesses and similar topics. He also serves on the Judicial Council, the statewide governing board for the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Anderson served on the

from August 1998 until 2004. He was appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court by Governor

Tim Pawlenty Timothy James Pawlenty ( ; born November 27, 1960) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served from 2003 to 2011 as the 39th governor of Minnesota. A member of the Republican Party, Pawlenty served in the Minnesota House ...

in 2004, beginning October 13, 2004. In 2006, he was elected to a six-year term. Dean Barkley, who briefly served as a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from Minnesota in 2002 after the death of

Paul Wellstone Paul David Wellstone (July 21, 1944 – October 25, 2002) was an American academic, author, and politician who represented Minnesota in the United States Senate from 1991 until he was killed in a plane crash near Eveleth, Minnesota, in 2002. A m ...

, ran against Anderson in the 2012 election. Anderson won reelection to another six-year term with 58.9% of the vote. He retired on May 10, 2024.

References

External links

*
Judge Profile: Associate Justice G. Barry Anderson
Minnesota Judicial Branch. {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Barry 1954 births 21st-century American judges Gustavus Adolphus College alumni Justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court Living people Minnesota Court of Appeals judges People from Fairmont, Minnesota People from Hutchinson, Minnesota Politicians from Mankato, Minnesota University of Minnesota Law School alumni