| David Lillehaug | |
| Office: | Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court |
| Term Start: | June 3, 2013 |
| Term End: | July 31, 2020 |
| Appointer: | Mark Dayton |
| Predecessor: | Paul H. Anderson |
| Successor: | Gordon Moore |
| Office2: | United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota |
| Term Start2: | January 1994 |
| Term End2: | May 22, 1998 |
| Appointer2: | Bill Clinton |
| Predecessor2: | Thomas B. Heffelfinger |
| Successor2: | B. Todd Jones |
| Birth Date: | 22 May 1954 |
| Birth Place: | Waverly, Iowa, U.S. |
| Spouse: | Winifred Smith |
| Children: | 1 |
| Residence: | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Occupation: | attorney |
David Lee Lillehaug (born May 22, 1954)[1] is a former associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He served as the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota from 1994 to 1998.
Lillehaug was born in Waverly, Iowa and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where his father taught music.[2] [3] He attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls and graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude. He later attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1979 with a Juris Doctor cum laude.[4]
Lillehaug was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota beginning in 1994.[5] He stepped down on May 22, 1998, in order to run for Minnesota Attorney General.[6]
Lillehaug announced on May 27, 1998, that he was entering the race for the Minnesota Attorney General Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) nomination, joining already announced DFL candidates Mike Hatch and Ember Reichgott Junge.[7] He placed second in the DFL primary that took place on September 15, 1998, losing to Mike Hatch.[8]
On March 16, 1999, Lillehaug announced that he was entering the 2000 race for the United States Senate DFL nomination in Minnesota.[9] He dropped out on June 3, 2000, after failing to win the DFL endorsement at the party convention that day. After withdrawing, he urged his supporters to support Minnesota State Senator Jerry Janezich, who ultimately won the party endorsement.[10]
Lillehaug was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton on March 26, 2013, to serve as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, replacing retiring Justice Paul H. Anderson.[11] He began his term on June 3, 2013, and was formally invested on June 28, 2013.[12] On June 12, 2019, Lillehaug announced a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and his retirement from the court effective July 31, 2020.[13]
Lillehaug is married to Winifred Smith. They have one daughter and reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[14] [15]