The Hon. Mary J. Theisen (Ret.) served as a judge for the 1st Judicial District Court of Minnesota. Theisen was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jesse Ventura in 2000. She retired in 2016.
The First Judicial District includes Carver County, Dakota County, Goodhue County, Le Sueur County, Scott County, and Sibley County.
Theisen earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and English from the University of Minnesota. She then completed a J.D. at William Mitchell College of Law in 1984.
After graduating from law school, Theisen began her legal career as an assistant attorney general for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. She served in that capacity until 1997, at which time she became an assistant county attorney for the Dakota County Attorney’s Office.