Speaker Name
Hon. Donovan W. Frank
Job Title
U.S. District Judge
Company
Minnesota District Court
Speaker Bio
Judge Donovan W. Frank was nominated by President William Jefferson Clinton and took the oath of office on November 2, 1998.
Judge Frank was raised in Spring Valley, Minnesota, graduated from Luther College, magna cum laude, in 1973, and studied for one year in England. He graduated from Hamline University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 1977. He began his legal career as an Assistant St. Louis County Attorney on the Iron Range. In 1985, he was appointed to the St. Louis County bench for the Sixth Judicial District. He served as Assistant Chief Judge from 1987-1991 and Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial District from 1991-1996. In 1996, the Minnesota Conference of Chief Judges named Judge Frank Trial Judge of the Year.
Judge Frank was a member of the St. Louis County Child Abuse Team and was lead counsel on the first case in the state of Minnesota that allowed expert testimony in a child sexual abuse felony trial. The Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the admission of the expert testimony in 1984. This remains the law today.
As a state judge, he served on the Conference of Chief Judges, the Minnesota Supreme Court Racial Bias Task Force, and the Minnesota Supreme Court Implementation Committee on Multicultural Diversity and Racial Fairness in the Courts from 1993-1998. He also served on the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Criminal Rules Committee from 1985 until he joined the federal bench. He served on the Board of the Range Mental Health Center and, since joining the federal bench, a new treatment and detoxification service center was constructed and named the “Judge Donovan Frank Building”—referred to by defendants as “The Frank Tank.” Judge Frank also served on the Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Board of Directors and was Chair of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers from 2019-2020. In 2014, he received the Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Fred Allen Outstanding Service Award.
Judge Frank has been very involved in Community Outreach and coordinated the Open Doors to Federal Courts program for 15 years, which won the American Bar Association’s Law Day award in 2010. Judge Frank is most recognized for his advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities who are “the forgotten minority.” He has worked as an advocate for disability rights, attempting to increase legal representation for those with disabilities and ensuring their right to equal justice. He was also the recipient of the 2012 Paul G. Herne Award for Disability Rights and The Arc Minnesota Luther Granquist Systems Change Award in 2011 and 2016.
Judge Frank assumed Senior Status in 2016. He serves on the Board of Trustees at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the Landmark Center Board of Directors.
Judge Frank was raised in Spring Valley, Minnesota, graduated from Luther College, magna cum laude, in 1973, and studied for one year in England. He graduated from Hamline University School of Law, magna cum laude, in 1977. He began his legal career as an Assistant St. Louis County Attorney on the Iron Range. In 1985, he was appointed to the St. Louis County bench for the Sixth Judicial District. He served as Assistant Chief Judge from 1987-1991 and Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial District from 1991-1996. In 1996, the Minnesota Conference of Chief Judges named Judge Frank Trial Judge of the Year.
Judge Frank was a member of the St. Louis County Child Abuse Team and was lead counsel on the first case in the state of Minnesota that allowed expert testimony in a child sexual abuse felony trial. The Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the admission of the expert testimony in 1984. This remains the law today.
As a state judge, he served on the Conference of Chief Judges, the Minnesota Supreme Court Racial Bias Task Force, and the Minnesota Supreme Court Implementation Committee on Multicultural Diversity and Racial Fairness in the Courts from 1993-1998. He also served on the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Criminal Rules Committee from 1985 until he joined the federal bench. He served on the Board of the Range Mental Health Center and, since joining the federal bench, a new treatment and detoxification service center was constructed and named the “Judge Donovan Frank Building”—referred to by defendants as “The Frank Tank.” Judge Frank also served on the Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Board of Directors and was Chair of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers from 2019-2020. In 2014, he received the Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Fred Allen Outstanding Service Award.
Judge Frank has been very involved in Community Outreach and coordinated the Open Doors to Federal Courts program for 15 years, which won the American Bar Association’s Law Day award in 2010. Judge Frank is most recognized for his advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities who are “the forgotten minority.” He has worked as an advocate for disability rights, attempting to increase legal representation for those with disabilities and ensuring their right to equal justice. He was also the recipient of the 2012 Paul G. Herne Award for Disability Rights and The Arc Minnesota Luther Granquist Systems Change Award in 2011 and 2016.
Judge Frank assumed Senior Status in 2016. He serves on the Board of Trustees at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the Landmark Center Board of Directors.
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