State oversight panel considering sanctions for controversial Anoka County judge

A three-person panel is considering whether to recommend punishment for an Anoka County judge who state officials say has shown a “pattern” of misconduct over internal hiring practices, holding court while on a road trip and ruling against juveniles and their families because of their immigration status or because they didn’t speak English.

Judge John P. Dehen, who was privately disciplined in 2022 for threats he made in a small claims lawsuit, admitted to presiding over cases while riding as a passenger as his wife drove him to Ohio for a family vacation. But the judge contends he didn’t show a bias while asking questions about immigration status in court hearings surrounding guardianship.

As 5 INVESTIGATES previously reported, the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards, a state oversight agency that handles complaints and discipline for judges, is charging Judge Dehen with a “pattern of making statements” and issuing rulings that “manifest prejudice.” In three of those cases, other judges have either overturned Judge Dehen’s findings or ordered him removed from an at-risk juvenile case.

“Just because you’re an immigrant doesn’t mean you’re eligible for an at-risk status,” Judge Dehen told the court Monday.

Former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court Eric Magnuson, who argued the state’s case against Judge Dehen, repeatedly pressed the Anoka County judge for his reported concerns with a Minnesota law that created a new guardianship procedure to protect youth from trafficking, neglect or abuse. 

During Monday’s hearing, Magnuson recalled a statement from another sitting judge who said, “it appeared” Judge Dehen “disagreed with the law.”

“I don’t have a problem with the law,” Judge Dehen countered.

Nearly 500 at-risk juvenile petitions for guardianship have been approved across the state, according to data obtained by 5 INVESTIGATES through a records request. Denials for these kinds of petitions are rare. A 5 INVESTIGATES analysis of court data and judges’ decisions shows just 3% of all at-risk juvenile petitions for guardianship have been denied since August 2022. 

RELATED: State board alleges ‘pattern’ of prejudice by Anoka County judge

Court data shows there were five denials in Anoka County — all of them from Judge Dehen.

The oversight board charged Judge Dehen in April with judicial misconduct over a conflict-of-interest case, claiming Judge Dehen had told one of his court staffers to quit her post and then re-apply for the job so he could offer her a higher pay rate. The judge filed paperwork in the case and intended to preside over those hearings, court records show.

Over the course of its investigation, Magnuson said the board found another possible violation – that Judge Dehen oversaw court proceedings while riding in a car.

“He does what he wants to do and doesn’t accept disagreement,” Magnuson told the panel.

The three-person panel, overseen by Senior Judge Kurt Marben, a Gov. Jesse Ventura appointee, can dismiss the complaint against Judge Dehen, or recommend censure, suspension or removal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

A report from earlier this year shows complaints against Minnesota judges have skyrocketed since 2022 to an all-time high, but discipline and public reprimands are rare. The last time the Minnesota Supreme Court disciplined a judge was in 2015 when another Anoka County judge — Alan Pendleton — was removed from the bench for living outside his district.