Judge Eric Tostrud Biography, Wiki, Age, Wife, Family, Political Party, Religion

Eric Tostrud Biography – Eric Tostrud Wiki

Eric Tostrud is the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. Judge Tostrud was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald J. Trump in February 2018. The Senate confirmed his nomination by unanimous voice vote on September 6, 2018, and he was sworn in on September 14, succeeding Judge Donovan W. Frank, who had taken senior status.

He became the chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota effective July 1, 2026, replacing Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, who stepped down after four years of distinguished service on June 30, 2026.

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 136, each of the 94 federal district courts has a chief judge who serves as the administrative head of the court. The statute currently provides that the chief judge in each district shall be the district judge in regular service who is senior in years of service, who has not reached their 65th birthday, who has served for one year or more as a district judge, and who has not served previously as chief judge. A chief judgeship lasts for 7 years, unless the chief judge opts to retire or take senior status upon reaching the age of 65.

Education

Judge Tostrud earned his B.A. in Political Science and Speech cum laude from St. Olaf College in 1987. He received his J.D. summa cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law in 1990, and he was admitted to the Minnesota Bar in October 1990.

Career

He clerked for Judge Edward J. Devitt of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota from 1990 to 1992, and for Judge George E. MacKinnon of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1992.

Tostrud returned to Minnesota to begin a 27-year career at the Minneapolis law firm of Lockridge Grindal Nauen. He was made a partner of the firm in 1998 and was of counsel from 2015 until his appointment to the federal bench.

In 1993, Tostrud began teaching at William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law) as an adjunct professor and has taught at the University of Minnesota Law School since 2011. He served on Mitchell Hamline’s Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2015, at which time he began teaching full time at the school as a distinguished practitioner in residence.

Eric Tostrud Age

Eric Christian Tostrud was born in 1965 in St. Paul, Minnesota, to parents Alleen and Jerrol Tostrud. Jerrol died on October 3, 2024, at the age of 86.

Eric Tostrud Wife

Eric Tostrud is married to Laurie Sagedahl Tostrud. She graduated from St. Olaf College in 1989.

Eric Tostrud Family

Eric Tostrud and his wife, Laurie Sagedahl Tostrud, have two children, Elsa Tostrud and Ty Tostrud. He has two siblings, sister Karen Tostrud Hoffman and brother Jon Tostrud.

Eric Tostrud Political Party

Chief Judge Eric Tostrud was nominated to the federal bench by President Donald J. Trump, a member of the Republican Party.

Eric Tostrud Religion

Eric Tostrud is steadfast in his faith. When asked if he has a deeply held belief or value that guides him, he told the St. Olaf Magazine: “The Gospel is not a call to service of self, it’s a call to service of others.” He added: “I cannot allow principles of faith or my own biases to infect my decision-making.”

Minnesota Immigration Ruling

On July 20, 2026, U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud ruled against the Trump administration in a key case centered on local immigration policy in Minnesota. According to a filing, the administration affirmed that Minnesota “sanctuary” laws violate the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which states that federal law must be supreme to state and local law. The administration looked to have the laws and policies declared unconstitutional and asked the court to block them, per the filing.

The Trump-nominated federal judge dismissed the case in his ruling, writing that “the challenged provisions do not single the federal government out for less favorable treatment, at least not in any sense that shows an intergovernmental immunity violation.”