Appointed/Elected:

Appointed January 30, 1998. Elected in 2000, 2006, and 2012.

Retired on June 19, 2015. Appointed and assigned to serve statewide as Senior Judge from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2025.

Education:

J.D., magna cum laude, William Mitchell College of Law, 1982
M.A., Special Education, College of Saint Thomas, 1977
M.A., Teaching, College of Saint Thomas, 1974
B.A., Colby College, 1968

Employment:

Staff Counsel, American Family Insurance, 1994-1998
Staff Counsel, Home Insurance Company, 1990-1993, 1987-1988
Staff Counsel, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, 1988-1990
Howard S. Marker and Associates, 1982-1987

Military Service:

U.S. Army Security Agency, 1969-1972

Professional Memberships:

Minnesota District Judges Association
Minnesota State Bar Association
Olmsted County Bar Association

Additional Information:

Judge Birnbaum was elected to a two-year term as Assistant Chief Judge of the Third Judicial District in January 2003, and he served his most recent term as Assistant Chief Judge from April 1, 2013, to Jan. 19, 2015. He was also one of two lead judges in Olmsted County for the Minnesota Supreme Court's Children's Justice Initiative. During 2005, he served a one-year term on the Dodge-Fillmore-Olmsted (DFO) Community Corrections Advisory Board.