Judges, Money and Politics: The State of Judicial Elections in Minnesota

Gary Borgendale

Gary Borgendale is the local ministry director at Salem Communications local affiliate AM 980 KKMS Radio, a Christian teaching and talk radio station. Mr. Borgendale works closely with local Christian ministries and churches helping them use radio to deliver their message to the community. Mr. Borgendale is also a leader in building numerous grassroots organizations including: Minnesota Faith and Freedom Coalition, Minnesota for Marriage, Minnesotans for Life and Americans for Marriage. Previous business experience includes sales, marketing and planning positions for small and fortune 500 companies. Mr. Borgendale holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota. 

Eric Magnuson

Eric Magnuson is the former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Currently, Mr. Magnuson works in Briggs and Morgan’s Business Litigation Section and the firm’s Appellate Practice Group. After graduating cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law in 1976, Mr. Magnuson clerked for the Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Honorable Robert J. Sheran. He has focused almost exclusively in the state and federal appellate courts for more than 25 years, and he is regarded as one of the most effective and respected appellate lawyers in Minnesota and the 8th Circuit. He also is a fellow and past president of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and a longtime member of the American Bar Association, serving as co-chair of the Appellate Practice Committee of the Section on Litigation and in the same capacity for the Appellate Advocacy Committee of the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section. He was named the 21st Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court in June 2008, and served until 2010.