Exciting news for Apollo High School alumna Amber Brennan! (Class of 1988) Governor Tim Walz recently appointed her to the Fourth Circuit Judicial District bench in Minnesota, a position that she greatly looks forward to, but never imagined, while attending St. Cloud Area School District 742.
While in high school, Brennan knew she wanted to go into journalism. She had no doubt about the course of her career. She went on to earn her degree in journalism at San Diego State University before acquiring her first position as a staff writer for The Shoreview-Arden Hills Bulletin.
“It was $7 an hour,” laughs Brennan. “I was a reporter for the Bulletin. … a weekly paper. I bartended at the same time.”
From there, Brennan worked at several different jobs, but in 1994 Brennan took a job with the Minnesota Legislature for the Session Weekly, a publication by a non-partisan office within the House of Representatives. The newsletter was a summary of all the bills going through legislature put into layman’s terms.
Then, in 1995, she spent a year working at the Minnesota Department of Education in communications.
“It was through those jobs, especially with the legislature, that I realized that the people who were really making social change and working on things that seemed important, a lot of them were lawyers,” says Brennan. “So, I … took the LSAT and started school in 1995 at the U of M (University of Minnesota.)”
Brennan always wanted to pursue a public interest career and worked in many non-profit and government entities as a lawyer.
Early in Brennan’s law career, she developed a practice in predatory lending cases representing homeowners in foreclosure. The passion she had for those homeowners is what ultimately led her to become a prosecutor.
“I started out working at legal aid,” explains Brennan. “I was a legal aid lawyer for 10 years of my career. Then I worked for a couple of years at the Minnesota Attorney General’s office as an assistant attorney general. [Then] I worked at the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor, and most recently a U.S. assistant attorney before becoming a judge.”
For the last 10 years of her career, Brennan has been a federal prosecutor. Her time with legal aid and as a prosecutor gave her a well-rounded perspective of criminal and civil law.
“I have experience being and representing the powerful person in the courtroom,” explains Brennan. “As a prosecutor representing the state … and representing the United States of America, you’re going into court representing a very powerful interest.”
Just recently Brennan was the section chief for the violent crime and firearm section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
That experience and presence added to her growing repertoire of knowledge and perspective as an attorney. Governor Walz recognized that as well. In February of 2022, Walz appointed Brennan to the bench.
“I was ready for a different role in the system,” shares Brennan. “I’d thought about what I’d do next … about what I’d do if I wasn’t doing this. I’ve always tried to utilize my education and experience to help people. After 24 years practicing as a lawyer on both sides of the courtroom, I just felt like I had something to bring to the table as a judge.”
Now Brennan looks towards the next phase of her career.
“I’m really grateful for this opportunity,” says Brennan. “I hope to be a good judge, a fair judge for those who come into my courtroom.”
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that her career would lead her to this avenue, but she’s glad it’s taken the turn that it has.
You must be logged in to post a comment.