The Hon. Eric P. Schieferdecker is a judge for the 9th Judicial District Court of Minnesota. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Mark Dayton on May 30, 2014, filling a vacancy created by the resignation of the Hon. Donald J. Aandal.
The 9th Judicial District includes Aitkin County, Beltrami County, Cass County, Clearwater County, Crow Wing County, Hubbard County, Itasca County, Kittson County, Koochiching County, Lake of the Woods County, Mahnomen County, Marshall County, Norman County, Pennington County, Polk County, Red Lake County, and Roseau County.
Prior to his appointment, Schieferdecker was an assistant attorney general in the Criminal Trial Division of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, a position to which he was named in 2005. During his tenure there, he prosecuted murder, drug, and implied consent cases in the 7th and 9th Judicial Districts. Before that, he spent time as chief assistant county attorney for the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office (1997 to 2005).
Schieferdecker earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Minot State University in 1988. He then completed a J.D. at the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1994.
After graduating from law school, Schieferdecker began his legal career as a law clerk to the Hon. John R. Hawkinson of the 9th Judicial District Court. He served in that capacity until 1995, at which time he entered into private practice as an associate at Drahos & Young in Bemidji.
His memberships have included the Minnesota District Judges Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Beltrami County Bar Association, and the National District Attorneys Association. He has also been involved with the Bemidji Lions Club and the Hope House, and he has co-edited the sentencing chapter of the Minnesota Judge Criminal Bench Book.