Education
B.A. Degree, with distinction
University of Minnesota Morris, 1983
J.D. Degree, magna cum laude, order of the coif
Georgetown University Law Center, 1986
Legal Background
Appointed as Chief Justice on July 1, 2010. Elected in 2012 and 2018. Term expires Jan. 2025.
Appointed as Associate Justice on January 11, 2006.
Prior to being appointed to the Supreme Court, Gildea served as a judge in the Fourth Judicial District, Hennepin County.
Before being appointed to the bench on September 26, 2005, Gildea was a prosecutor in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (2004-2005), Associate General Counsel at the University of Minnesota (1993-2004) and in private litigation practice at Arent Fox in Washington, D.C. (1986-1993).
Community Involvement
Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission (May 2001-November 2004)
Board of Directors, YWCA of Minneapolis (July 2000-June 2003)
Advisory Board, MINNCOR Industries (June 2000-June 2002)
Professional Affiliations
Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure (2004-2006)
Minnesota State Bar Association
- Member, Council (July 1, 2003-Present)
- Member, Assembly (2000-Present)
- Member, Governing Council, Civil Litigation Section (2000-2006)
Hennepin County Bar Association
- Member, Board of Directors (2000-2004)
- Chair, Finance and Planning Committee (2002-2003)
- Co-chair, The Hennepin Lawyer Committee (2001-2002)
National Center for State Courts' Conference of Chief Justices
- Board of Directors (2013-2015 and 2019-2021)
Supreme Court of the United States Judicial Conference Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction