--- title: "Rachna Sullivan | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rachna-sullivan-judge-fourth-judicial-district-mn" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Rachna Sullivan Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Court · Judge ## Profile - Court: Minnesota Fourth 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 - Past Employment: Law Clerk, United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, July 1998 to August 1999 - Past Employment: Kings County District Attorney’s Office, October 1996 to February 1998 - Past Employment: Shareholder, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A - Appointed by Governor Tim Walz to the Minnesota Fourth Judicial District, replacing Judge Bruce A. Peterson, and she is chambered in Minneapolis, Hennepin County - She also held the role of a partner at Rider Bennett LLP and worked as a law clerk to the Honorable James M. Rosenbaum, former Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota - Past Employment: Partner in a 150+ law firm.Managed a wide array of commercial disputes and insurance-related disputes involving coverage and defense through trial.Handled extensive negotiations and settlements - Her career spans private practice, federal clerkship, and prosecutorial work, culminating in her current role as a respected District Court Judge in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District - She is a director of the Minnesota Chapter Infinity Project and Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, and she co-chairs and co-founded the Leadership Summit on Gender Equity in the Law ### Education ### Additional information - Current term expires December 31, 2028. - Elected November 8, 2022. - 15, 2019, by Governor Tim Walz. - Past Employment: Partner, Rider Bennett, 1999 to 2006 - Appointed/Elected: Appointed on Nov. - Past Employment: Lead lawyer in numerous complex commercial matters including, class actions, partnership and shareholder disputes, family business disputes.Appointed by the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota to serve as its Special Counsel on several occasions. - Shareholder at Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., where she led complex commercial litigation cases, including class actions, partnership and shareholder disputes, and family business disputes. - Past Employment: Drafted bench memoranda and court opinions.Consulted and advised Chief Judge Rosenbaum on legal issues, including dispositive motions, sentencing, jury instructions and emergency hearings. - Beyond her legal practice, Sullivan is actively involved in community service and leadership initiatives. - She volunteers at local organizations, including providing food packages at Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School and serving meals at the Church of St. Stephens in Minneapolis ## 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/04-district/rachna-sullivan) - [Official roster](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/04-district/rachna-sullivan) - [Minnesota Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/04-district/rachna-sullivan) - [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 Rachna Sullivan](https://mncourts.gov/about-the-courts/judicialdirectory/active-judicial-officers/04-district/rachna-sullivan) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rachna-sullivan-judge-fourth-judicial-district-mn", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/rachna-sullivan-judge-fourth-judicial-district-mn", "name": "Rachna Sullivan | KnowJudges", "description": "Rachna Sullivan, Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Court. 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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.