Paul Thissen

Paul Thissen
Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
Assumed office
May 14, 2018
Appointed byMark Dayton
Preceded byDavid Stras
59th Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office
January 8, 2013 – January 5, 2015
Preceded byKurt Zellers
Succeeded byKurt Daudt
Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office
January 6, 2015 – January 2, 2017
Preceded byKurt Daudt
Succeeded byMelissa Hortman
In office
January 4, 2011 – January 7, 2013
Preceded byKurt Zellers
Succeeded byKurt Daudt
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 61B district
In office
January 7, 2003 – April 20, 2018
Preceded byMark Gleason
Succeeded byJamie Long
Personal details
Born (1966-12-10) December 10, 1966 (age 57)
Bloomington, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKaren Wilson
Children3
EducationHarvard University (BA)
University of Chicago (JD)

Paul Thissen (born December 10, 1966) is an American politician and jurist serving as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He previously served as the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives and DFL Minority Leader. Thissen was the longest-serving leader of the Minnesota House Democrats since Martin Olav Sabo in the 1970s. A member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 61B in south Minneapolis. First elected in 2002, Thissen was reelected every two years through 2016. On April 17, 2018, Governor Mark Dayton appointed Thissen to the Minnesota Supreme Court. He was sworn in on May 14, 2018. He is the first person to have served both as Minnesota House Speaker and on the Minnesota Supreme Court.[1]

  1. ^ Thissen, Paul Minnesota Legislative Reference Library