--- title: "Amber R. Donley | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amber-r-donley-judge-first-judicial-district-mn" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Amber R. Donley Minnesota First Judicial District Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Minnesota First Judicial District Court - State: Minnesota - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-26 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Employment: Contract Attorney, Tenth District Public Defender’s Office - Employment: Attorney, Gavin, Winters & Long, Ltd - Employment: Shareholder/Managing Partner, Gavin, Donley & Ostlund, Ltd ### Education - Concordia College — B.A. - William Mitchell College of Law — J.D. ### Additional information - Appointed/Elected: Current term expires January 2029. - Amber Donley, a private practice attorney and former member of the Jacksonville Bar Association board of governors, was selected as a state court magistrate in the 4th Judicial Circuit, with her term beginning on May 19, 2025. - Elected in 2022. - Appointed/Elected: Appointed May 11, 2020, by Governor Tim Walz. - She later attended Florida Coastal School of Law and was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2010. - Employment: Attorney, Melchert Hubert Sjodin, PLLP - Employment: Associate Corporate Counsel, MGEX - Born in Miami, Donley earned her undergraduate degree from Bethune-Cookman University and initially served as an elementary school teacher in Central Florida. - Her legal career includes extensive experience in private practice, which she transitioned from to focus on her judicial role - Donley views her magistrate position as a stepping stone toward serving as a full judge, gaining quasi-judicial experience through her current role. - She remains engaged with the Jacksonville Bar Association and has expressed interest in continuing her involvement while balancing her judicial responsibilities ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### remote hearing recording Scope: statewide Minnesota Judicial Branch remote-hearing guidance says recording or broadcasting a remote proceeding is not authorized except as provided by court rules. Evidence excerpt: No recording or broadcasting of any remote proceeding is authorized other than as provided by court rules. [Remote Hearing Information](https://mncourts.gov/remote-hearings) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### camera audio recording devices Scope: statewide Minnesota court guidance cites Rule 4 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice and says pictures or voice recordings are not allowed except the official court record. Evidence excerpt: According to Rule 4 of the MN Rules of General Practice for the District Courts, no pictures or voice recordings [Security & Weapons Screening - Going to Court](https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/hennepin/going-to-court/security-weapons-screening) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/01-district/amber-r.-donley) - [Official roster](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/01-district/amber-r.-donley) - [Minnesota Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/01-district/amber-r.-donley) - [Remote Hearing Information](https://mncourts.gov/remote-hearings) - [Security & Weapons Screening - Going to Court](https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/hennepin/going-to-court/security-weapons-screening) - [Judge Amber R. Donley](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/01-district/amber-r.-donley) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amber-r-donley-judge-first-judicial-district-mn", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amber-r-donley-judge-first-judicial-district-mn", "name": "Amber R. Donley | KnowJudges", "description": "Amber R. Donley, Minnesota First Judicial District Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-03", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amber-r-donley-judge-first-judicial-district-mn#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amber-r-donley-judge-first-judicial-district-mn#judge", "name": "Amber R. 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Donley", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amber-r-donley-judge-first-judicial-district-mn" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Remote Hearing Information](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-5920703a4c3a43b48164d80e) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://mncourts.gov/remote-hearings). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Security & Weapons Screening - Going to Court](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-c45898f557aa190822c0bdd8) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://mncourts.gov/find-courts/hennepin/going-to-court/security-weapons-screening). Collected 2026-07-26.