Judge JaPaul Harris ’03
JaPaul Harris ’03, a district court judge in Ramsey County, was named Wednesday to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. He will replace Judge Jeffrey Bryan, who recently became a federal judge in Minnesota.
The appointment, announced by the office of Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, will bring to seven the number of Mitchell Hamline alums serving on the court.
Harris “is an experienced judge with a diverse practice background who has consistently worked to build trust in the courts,” said Walz, in a statement. “He has always been committed to helping those who need it the most.”
Harris was named to the Ramsey County bench in 2018 by Gov. Mark Dayton. He previously served as a judicial referee in Hennepin County, presiding over housing, harassment, juvenile, and civil commitment matters, and as an attorney at Mid Minnesota Legal Aid and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. Harris also serves as the chair of the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Juvenile Rules Advisory Committee and has taught legal writing as an adjunct at Mitchell Hamline.
According to a 2019 profile of Harris in Mitchell Hamline Law magazine, Harris grew up in public housing and received public benefits. His mother was a teacher’s aide, and Harris planned to be a teacher. He didn’t know any lawyers—let alone judges—as a youngster in upstate New York. When he became a judge, Harris worked to be an example of what is possible for young people growing up in poverty.
“Working with underserved people is a passion of mine,” Harris said, in the article.
Studying the law revealed to him an opportunity to help people struggling with issues involving—among other things—law enforcement, housing eviction, mental health, and poverty. “When I got into legal aid,” he said, referring to his work with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, “I was sold. The way they became lawyers was by being lawyers. They were problem solvers.”
“Judge Harris is an intellectually gifted jurist whose wisdom, incisiveness, and depth of character will bring a thoughtful, measured voice to the Court of Appeals,” said Chief Justice Natalie Hudson of the Minnesota Supreme Court who previously served on the Court of Appeals. “The governor could not have made a better choice.”
Harris will join fellow Mitchell Hamline alums Matthew Johnson ’92, Michelle Larkin ’92, Peter Reyes Jr. ‘97, Jon Schmidt ’03, Randall Slieter ’86, and Renee Worke ’83 on the court.