Susan Gaertner
Encyclopedia
Susan Gaertner is a Minnesota
politician and the former County Attorney
for Ramsey County
, Minnesota. She was a candidate for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement for Governor
in the 2010 election
.
Gaertner attended Harding High School
in Saint Paul, Minnesota
. She went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota Duluth
and the University of Minnesota Law School. After graduation, Gaertner served as a clerk
in the office of Federal Appeals Court Judge
Gerald W. Heaney
, and later worked as a criminal defense attorney for the William Mauzy Law Firm. Gaertner then joined the Ramsey County's attorney office in 1984.
In 1989, while working for the Ramsey County Attorney's office, she became the first Minnesota prosecutor to introduce DNA
evidence in court. Later, as Ramsey County Attorney, Gaertner established programs designed to curb domestic violence.
Two months later, Gaertner announced she would not be seeking re-election.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician and the former County Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
for Ramsey County
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1849. As of 2010, the population was 508,640. Its county seat is St. Paul, which is also Minnesota's state capital. The county is named for Alexander Ramsey , the first governor of the Minnesota Territory...
, Minnesota. She was a candidate for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement for Governor
Governor of Minnesota
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
in the 2010 election
Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2010
The 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 to elect the 40th Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota for a four-year term to begin in January 2011. The general election was contested by the major party candidates State Representative Tom Emmer , former Senator...
.
Family and early life
Gaertner grew up on the Eastside of St. Paul during a period of opportunity for working class families. Her mother and father took full advantage of this environment, with her mother attending college at a time it was uncommon for women to pursue higher education, and her father served as a social worker in Ramsey County. Gaertner currently lives in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, with her husband, John Wodele, the former press secretary for Governor Jesse Ventura. She has three daughters.Education and professional career
Harding Senior High School (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Harding Senior High School is a public comprehensive high school located on the East Side of Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school is one of six high schools in the Saint Paul Public School District and is the largest high school in the city of Saint Paul with enrollment at approximately 2400...
in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. She went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota Duluth
University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
and the University of Minnesota Law School. After graduation, Gaertner served as a clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
in the office of Federal Appeals Court Judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
Gerald W. Heaney
Gerald William Heaney
Gerald William Heaney served for nearly forty years as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, from his appointment by President Lyndon B. Johnson in November 1966 until his full retirement in August 2006. Heaney’s career in public service began in 1941, upon...
, and later worked as a criminal defense attorney for the William Mauzy Law Firm. Gaertner then joined the Ramsey County's attorney office in 1984.
In 1989, while working for the Ramsey County Attorney's office, she became the first Minnesota prosecutor to introduce DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
evidence in court. Later, as Ramsey County Attorney, Gaertner established programs designed to curb domestic violence.
Awards and honors
In 2002 Gaertner was inducted into the Harding High School Hall of Fame in recognition of her successful Truancy Intervention Program. In 2004, the Minnesota County Attorneys Association awarded her the group's highest honor—an honor presented annually to a county attorney who exhibits extraordinary leadership in the field of justice. An accomplished trial attorney who has continued trying cases after being elected county attorney, Gaertner was inducted in the elite American College of Trial Lawyers in 2009.2010 Gubernatorial Run
In 2009, Gaertner announced her candidacy for governor as a Democrat, citing her experience as a prosecutor in Ramsey County. Gaertner initially indicated she would not seek party endorsement, but would instead run in the DFL primary in August 2010. On April 26, 2010, Gaertner announced that she would withdraw from the race.Khou Phong Lee trial and aftermath
In the summer of 2010, prisoner Khoua Phong Lee was released from prison after a retrial was ordered in manslaughter convictions in the crash involving his Toyota vehicle which killed three people. Susan Gaertner, who had consistently opposed his release, offered to release Lee from prison on the condition that he admit to guilt and register as a convicted felon, this during final deliberations of the appeals court deciding on his right to retrial. Immediately upon the court overturning his conviction and ordering a retrial, Gaertner announced she would not be pursuing another case against him; raising questions in the legal community and in the press about her judicial judgement for inexplicably flipping positions ex post facto.Two months later, Gaertner announced she would not be seeking re-election.