David Lee Lillehaug (born May 22, 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 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 area. The sister city of Waverly is ...

and raised in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, where his father taught music. He attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls and graduated in 1976 with 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 ...

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 Sout ...

''. He later attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

, graduating in 1979 with 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 ...

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 ...

''.

United States Attorney

Lillehaug was appointed by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

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 Democratic-Farme ...

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 a political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota affiliated with the national Democratic Party. The party was formed by a merger between the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minneso ...

(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 a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

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, 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 List of governors of Minnesota, 40th governor of Minnesota from 2011 to 2019. He served as a United States Senate, United States Senator representing Minneso ...

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

, replacing retiring Justice Paul H. Anderson. 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 neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

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 a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

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