Hon. Joseph F. Chase is a judge for the 3rd Judicial District Court of Minnesota in Olmsted County. He was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jesse Ventura on October 15, 1999.
The 3rd Judicial District includes Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, and Winona Counties.
Prior to his appointment, Chase was the City Attorney for the City of Chatfield, having served in that capacity since 1997. Before that, he practiced for seventeen years as an attorney at O’Brien, Ehrick, Wolf, Deaner & Maus in Rochester (1982 to 1999).
Chase received a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1979. He went on to complete a J.D. at the University of Minnesota Law School in 1982.
Chase was on the Board of Directors of Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services and a board member of the Chatfield School Board and a board member and past president of Omnia Family Services in Rochester.
He was also a past president of Probation Offenders Rehabilitation and Training and a volunteer attorney at Legal Assistance of Olmsted County.
Chase and his wife, Sarah, have three children. Some of his pencil drawings have appeared on magazine covers and posters, and he has performed in local musicals. Chase also enjoys working on his generational family farm in Chatfield.