ST. PAUL, MN – Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointments of Mr. Bradford Delapena and Ms. Joanne Turner as Judges to the Minnesota Tax Court. Mr. Delapena will be replacing the Honorable Sheryl A. Ramstad and Ms. Turner will be replacing the Honorable Kathleen H. Sanberg. 

“I am pleased to announce the appointments of Bradford Delapena and Joanne Turner to the Minnesota Tax Court,” said Governor Dayton. “Mr. Delapena and Ms. Turner each embody the highest ideals of professionalism and justice and I have the utmost confidence that they will serve the people who come before the Minnesota Tax Court with efficiency and skill.” 

Bradford Delapena- Mr. Delapena is a Solo Practitioner at Bradford Delapena, Ltd, where he specializes in appellate law and tax matters. Previously, Mr. Delapena was an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Minnesota, serving as the Tax Litigation Division Manager. Prior to that, Mr. Delapena was the Assistant State Public Defender for eight years. Mr. Delapena received his B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1986 and his J.D. with honors from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1991. 

Additionally, Mr. Delapena has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School since 1998, and at William Mitchell College of Law from 1994-2007. Mr. Delapena is a Board Member of the Twin Cities Aikido Center, and has regularly served as judge for various law school moot courts and high school mock trial programs. 

Joanne Turner-Ms. Turner has served as an Assistant Commissioner for the Minnesota Supreme Court since 2005, where her duties include reviewing appeals and records from the Tax Court. Before joining the Commissioner’s staff, Ms. Turner was a partner in the Minneapolis firm of Mackall, Crounse & Moore, PLC, where her areas of practice included commercial litigation, appeals, and intellectual property defense. Prior to her admission to the bar, Ms. Turner was an Assistant Professor of Accounting and Taxation at The Ohio State University and the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. Ms. Turner received a B.S. with honors from The Ohio State University in 1976, a Ph.D. with honors from the University of Minnesota in 1984, and a J.D. with honors from the University of Michigan Law School in 1992. 

An avid musician, Ms. Turner is a member of the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra, the Golden Valley Orchestra, and the Richfield Symphonic Band. She has also served as a volunteer crewmember for the Torchlight Concert at Centennial Lakes since its inception. 

The Minnesota Tax Court is an executive branch court established by the Minnesota Legislature to hear and consider tax-related cases. 

More information on Governor Dayton’s judicial appointments can be found at http://mn.gov/governor/appointments/judicial-appointments/ 

Headshots of /governor/assets/Bradford_Delapena.jpg_tcm1055-95618.jpgMr. Bradford Delapena and /governor/assets/Joanne_Turner.jpg_tcm1055-97788.jpgMs. Joanne Turner are attached.