Speaker Name
Hon. Michael E. Ridgway
Job Title
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge
Company
Minnesota Bankruptcy Court
Speaker Bio
On May 20, 2013, Michael E. Ridgway, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was sworn in as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Minnesota. He served as Chief Judge from 2019 – 2022. Judge Ridgway’s chambers are located in Minneapolis, although he travels to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, once a month, and maintains a regular calendar there. He has also presided over cases in the District of North Dakota. Judge Ridgway also serves on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Eighth Circuit.
Judge Ridgway is a 1978 graduate of Yankton College (Yankton, S.D.) and a 1981 graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School. From 2006, until his appointment, he served as a Trial Attorney with the United States Trustee’s Program in Minneapolis. In October 2011, he was among a group of seven United States Trustee Program attorneys who received the United States Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, the Department of Justice’s second highest award for employee performance, for “Exceptional Work to Address Misconduct and Abusive Practices in the U.S. Bankruptcy System.”
From 1998 to 2006, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota. During his tenure there, he represented the interest of the federal government in both civil and criminal matters, including bankruptcy, asset forfeiture, and prosecutions of white-collar fraud cases. Judge Ridgway also has extensive litigation experience having been in private practice for 17 years; he also served as an elected county prosecutor for over five years. He has prosecuted several bench and jury trials in both the state and federal courts.
Judge Ridgway has also taught a course in bankruptcy from 2014 through 2018 at the University of St. Thomas Law School.
Judge Ridgway has always enjoyed baseball. He is an avid fan of the Minnesota Twins. Early in his legal career he entertained a (fleeting) desire to umpire in the Major Leagues. He has twenty years of experience umpiring baseball games at various skill levels, including amateur, intercollegiate, American Legion, and V.F.W. Teener. In 1996, he was inducted into the South Dakota Baseball Umpires Hall of Fame.
Judge Ridgway is a 1978 graduate of Yankton College (Yankton, S.D.) and a 1981 graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School. From 2006, until his appointment, he served as a Trial Attorney with the United States Trustee’s Program in Minneapolis. In October 2011, he was among a group of seven United States Trustee Program attorneys who received the United States Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, the Department of Justice’s second highest award for employee performance, for “Exceptional Work to Address Misconduct and Abusive Practices in the U.S. Bankruptcy System.”
From 1998 to 2006, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota. During his tenure there, he represented the interest of the federal government in both civil and criminal matters, including bankruptcy, asset forfeiture, and prosecutions of white-collar fraud cases. Judge Ridgway also has extensive litigation experience having been in private practice for 17 years; he also served as an elected county prosecutor for over five years. He has prosecuted several bench and jury trials in both the state and federal courts.
Judge Ridgway has also taught a course in bankruptcy from 2014 through 2018 at the University of St. Thomas Law School.
Judge Ridgway has always enjoyed baseball. He is an avid fan of the Minnesota Twins. Early in his legal career he entertained a (fleeting) desire to umpire in the Major Leagues. He has twenty years of experience umpiring baseball games at various skill levels, including amateur, intercollegiate, American Legion, and V.F.W. Teener. In 1996, he was inducted into the South Dakota Baseball Umpires Hall of Fame.
Speaking At
