Governor Walz Appoints Brainerd’s Elise Larson to MN Court of Appeals

Governor Tim Walz has appointed Brainerd lawyer Elise Larson to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The announcement came on Thursday, April 28.

Larson, who is the daughter of Brainerd Public Schools superintendent Laine Larson, will fill the vacancy left by the Honorable James B. Florey following his retirement. The seat Larson will fill is for a resident of the Eighth Congressional District.

Elise Larson
Credit: Office of Gov. Tim Walz & Lieutenant Gov. Peggy Flanagan

“She is a remarkable attorney who has excelled at every stage in her career,” said Gov. Walz in a press release. “Her extensive background practicing civil and administrative law – and her experience clerking for some of the region’s most renowned judges – has prepared her well for the bench.”

Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan also commended Larson and her qualifications. “[Larson] is highly qualified, civic-minded, and has a passion for public service and equity. I am confident that she will be an excellent judge.”

Larson’s background include serving as the Water Program Director and senior attorney at the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School. In this position, Larson teaches environmental law and supervises the Environment and Energy Law Clinic.

She was previously a law clerk for Chief Justice Lorie Gildea on the Minnesota Supreme Court, Judge Myron Bright on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, and Chief Judge John Tunheim on the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. At Briggs and Morgan P.A. Larson was an attorney. For complex litigation cases, she represented private-sector clients.

Larson earned a B.A. from Concordia College. She later earned her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.