Associate Justice Currently Seated

Sarah E. Hennesy

Minnesota Supreme Court · Appointed May 13, 2024

Portrait of Sarah E. Hennesy
Education and employment

Education:
J.D., Drake Law School, Des Moines, IA, 1994

B.A., Central College, Pella, IA, 1991

Employment:
St. Cloud Area Legal Services, Staff Attorney, St. Cloud, MN, 2006-2012

Damiani & Damiani, P.C., Associate Attorney, Alexandria, VA, 2003-2005

Alexandria Public Defender’s Office, Alexandria, VA, 1999-2003

Deputy Public Defender, 2002-2003
Asst. Public Defender, 1999-2002
Kohn & Einstein, Associate Attorney, Washington, D.C., 1998-1999

State Appellate Defender’s Office, Assistant Appellate Defender, Des Moines, IA, 1994-1996

Professional Memberships:
Minnesota District Judges Association

Former co-chair, Stearns County’s Family Violence Council

Stearns/Benton County Bar Association

Professional and Community Activities:
Oak Hill Elementary School Parent Teacher Student Association

Election Protection volunteer

Volunteer teacher - English as a second language

Judged/coached mock trial and moot court teams at middle school, high school, college, and law school levels.

Additional Information:
Admitted to practice law in Minnesota, Virginia, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Washington, D.C., United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and Iowa.

2011 Dawn Carlson Family Advocate Award Recipient

Judicial record

23 opinions where Sarah E. Hennesy sat on the panel, spanning 2025–2026.

15 Majority authored
3 Concurrences
5 Dissents

By court

  • Minn. 23

By disposition

  • Affirmed 10
  • Reversed 9
  • Other 3
  • Dismissed 1

Panel votes per year

How Sarah E. Hennesy'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.

0 4 8 12 16 20 2025 2026 2025: 10 votes — Sarah E. Hennesy 2026: 13 votes — Sarah E. Hennesy
  • Sarah E. Hennesy

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).

Recent opinions

15 most recent opinions where Sarah E. Hennesy sat on the panel.

Docket Court Filed Disposition Case
A24-0228 Minn. 2026-07-22 Reversed and remanded Court of Appeals State of Minnesota, Respondent, vs. Ge Yang, Appellant. Gaïtas…
A23-1400 Minn. 2026-07-15 Reversed and remanded State of Minnesota v. Tracey Dee Keyes
A24-0097 Minn. 2026-06-17 Affirmed State of Minnesota v. Paul James Steichen
A23-1919 Minn. 2026-05-20 Affirmed State of Minnesota v. Steven Douglas Nelson
A24-0818 Minn. 2026-05-06 Reversed and remanded State of Minnesota v. Alfredo Torrez
A24-1989 Minn. 2026-04-22 Affirmed Cindy Ludwig v. Dakota County, Self-Insured by SFM Risk Solutions, Relator
A22-1579 Minn. 2026-04-15 Reversed and remanded State of Minnesota v. Ivan Contreras-Sanchez
A24-1119 Minn. 2026-04-01 Dismissed In re Petition for Disciplinary Action against Herbert A. Igbanugo, a Minnesota…
A23-0516 Minn. 2026-03-18 Affirmed State of Minnesota v. Anthony Richard Smeby
A24-0067 Minn. 2026-03-11 Affirmed In the Matter of the Civil Commitment of: Leah Christina Graeber
A23-0973 Minn. 2026-02-25 Affirmed State of Minnesota v. Nicholas James Firkus
A23-1738 Minn. 2026-01-21 Affirmed In the Matter of the Minnesota Racing Commission's Approval of Running Aces Cas…
A24-0107 Minn. 2026-01-07 Reversed and remanded State of Minnesota Office of the Attorney General v. Madison Equities, Inc.
A23-1544 Minn. 2025-12-24 Affirmed Christopher Thigpen v. Best Home Care LLC, Department of Employment and Economi…
A23-1062 Minn. 2025-12-10 Reversed and remanded State of Minnesota v. Lisa Dawn Oliver