Matthew E. Johnson
Education and employment
Education:
J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1992
Editor-in-Chief, William Mitchell Law Review, 1991-92
Recipient of “The Student Award of Merit” at Commencement
B.A., Saint Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, 1985
Legal Career:
Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals, Jan. 1, 2008, to present.
Chief Judge, Minnesota Court of Appeals, Oct. 31, 2010, to Oct. 31, 2013.
Attorney in private practice, Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson, P.A., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2001-07
Attorney in private practice, Smith Parker, P.L.L.P., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1995-2001
Attorney in private practice, Popham, Haik, Schnobrich & Kaufman, Ltd., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1994-95
Law Clerk to Judge David R. Hansen, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1993-94
Law Clerk to Chief Judge Charles R. Wolle, United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa, 1992-93
Other Professional Experiences:
Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing, William Mitchell College of Law, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1999-2000
Staff Assistant, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Courts and Administrative Practice, Washington, D.C., 1987-89
Assistant Staff Auditor, Prudential Insurance Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1985-87
Member of board of directors of bank holding company, 2007
Part-time or seasonal employment before law school: waiting tables at restaurant; painting houses; working on construction crew; stocking and sacking groceries; detasseling seed corn; walking and weeding beanfields; baling hay; delivering office supplies; delivering newspapers.
Volunteer Activities:
Second Judicial District Ethics Committee, Member, 2006-07
City of Saint Paul Civil Service Commission, Member, 2004-07
Lighthouse Academy of Nations, Inc. (charter school), Chair, Board of Directors, 2004-06
Legal Access Point (legal services clinic), Volunteer Lawyer, 1998-2007
Minnesota State Bar Association Judicial Elections Task Force, Member, 1997
Professional Associations:
Minnesota State Bar Association, 1994 to the present
Ramsey County Bar Association, 2002 to the present
Hennepin County Bar Association, 1994-2007
Federal Bar Association, 1994-2007
Warren E. Burger Inn of Court, 2002-03
Judicial record
1996 opinions where Matthew E. Johnson sat on the panel, spanning 2008–2026.
By court
By disposition
Panel votes per year
How Matthew E. Johnson's panel-seat count has shifted year by year.
Add ?vs=<another-judge-slug> to the URL to overlay a second judge, or click compare next to any co-panelist below.
- Matthew E. Johnson
Most-frequent co-panelists
Judges who appeared on the same opinions. aligned = same bucket (both majority, both dissent); partial = concurred in result but wrote separately; split = the meaningful disagreement (majority vs dissent).
- Kevin G. Ross 298 shared 296 aligned 1 partial 1 split compare
- Michelle A. Larkin 239 shared 236 aligned 2 partial 1 split compare
- Renee Worke 231 shared 226 aligned 1 partial 4 split compare
- Michael L. Kirk 184 shared 175 aligned 3 partial 6 split compare
- Louise D. Bjorkman 182 shared 180 aligned 1 partial 1 split compare
- Carol A. Hooten 166 shared 159 aligned 1 partial 6 split compare
- Denise D. Reilly 162 shared 157 aligned 2 partial 3 split compare
- Jeanne M. Cochran 158 shared 156 aligned 1 partial 1 split compare
- Francis J. Connolly 133 shared 128 aligned 1 partial 4 split compare
- Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks 122 shared 120 aligned 2 partial compare
Recent opinions
15 most recent opinions where Matthew E. Johnson sat on the panel.
| Docket | Court | Filed | Disposition | Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A25-1853 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed | State of Minnesota, Respondent, |
| A25-2198 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded | Daniel Petsinger DBA Radio Link Internet, Appellant, |
| A26-0181 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed | Dpree Shareef Robinson, petitioner, Appellant, |
| A24-0903 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed | State of Minnesota, Respondent, |
| A25-1793 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed | State of Minnesota, Respondent, |
| A25-2045 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded | Joseph T. Green, Appellant, |
| A25-2187 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Reversed and remanded | In re the Custody of the Child of: |
| A25-2188 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed | In the Matter of: |
| A26-0101 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed | Devin Matthew Weiland, petitioner, Appellant, |
| A26-0114 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed | In the Matter of: |
| A26-0208 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed | In re the Irrevocable Special Needs Trust of Touger Lor. |
| A26-0335 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-24 | Affirmed | In the Matter of the Welfare of the Child(ren) of: T. L. S., Parent. |
| A25-1774 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-17 | Affirmed | State of Minnesota, Respondent, |
| A25-1511 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-17 | Affirmed | Troy Andre Amundson, petitioner, Appellant, |
| A25-2004 | Minn. Ct. App. | 2026-08-17 | Reversed | In the Matter of the Welfare of the Child of: L. C. J., Parent, C. M. L., Paren… |