The Hon. Amber R. Donley is a judge for the 1st Judicial District Court of Minnesota. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Tim Walz on May 11, 2020.
The First Judicial District includes Carver County, Dakota County, Goodhue County, Le Sueur County, Scott County, and Sibley County.
Prior to her appointment, Donley was an attorney at Melchert Hubert Sjodin, a law firm she joined in 2019. Before that, she spent time as a managing partner at Gavin, Donley & Oslund (2017 to 2019) and an attorney at Gavin, Winters & Long (2014 to 2017).
Donley earned a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College in 2005. She then completed a J.D. at William Mitchell College of Law in 2008.
After graduating from law school, Donley was a contract attorney for the 10th Judicial District Public Defender's Office. She served in that capacity until 2010, at which time she opened her own private practice as a sole practitioner. Then, in 2011, she became associate corporate counsel for the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.
Her memberships have included the Minnesota State Bar Association and the McLeod County Bar Association. She has also been involved with the McLeod County Children’s Justice Initiative, the Waconia-West Carver Rotary Club, and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services.