The Hon. Darlene Rivera Spall is a judge for the 9th Judicial District Court of Minnesota. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Tim Walz on September 27, 2019, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of the Hon. Kurt Marben.
The 9th Judicial District includes Aitkin County, Beltrami County, Cass County, Clearwater County, Crow Wing County, Hubbard County, Itasca County, Kittson County, Koochiching County, Lake of the Woods County, Mahnomen County, Marshall County, Norman County, Pennington County, Polk County, Red Lake County, and Roseau County.
Prior to her appointment, Rivera Spall was the County Attorney for Mahnomen, a position to which she was named in 2011. She also spent time as a tribal attorney for the White Earth Band.
Rivera Spall earned a J.D. from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2001.
After graduating from law school, Rivera Spall began her legal career as an assistant county attorney for the Mahnomen County Attorney’s Office. She also served as an assistant public defender for the Minnesota Public Defender’s Office in Detroit Lakes.
Her memberships have included the Steering Committees of the White Earth/Mahnomen Juvenile Wellness Court, the White Earth/Mahnomen Drug Court, and the Family Dependency Court. She has also been involved with the Board of Patriot Assistance Dogs.