In Minnesota, there are nearly 300 district court judges who preside over matters in ten judicial districts. While the Minnesota Rules of Court provide attorneys with significant information applicable to court proceedings, each judge may have his or her individual preferences with respect to motion practice and courtroom conduct.

In an effort to assist attorneys who may be appearing before a judge for the first time, the MSBA Civil Litigation Section Governing Council provided all district court judges with a brief survey. The responses that we received are organized on the right by judicial district and then alphabetically by judge’s name. We hope you find these responses to be helpful in your preparation for district court appearances.

For information about this project or to report an error in any judicial directory listing, contact Kara Haro, MSBA staff liaison to the Civil Litigation Section.

Tenth Judicial District Judges | Courtroom Preferences

Tenney, Geoffrey

District Court Judge

Counties: Wright

State Court Bio: View Bio

Contact with chambers:

Set forth your preferred method to contact chambers (telephone, email, etc.). Telephone/Court clerk
To whom may attorneys direct scheduling/logistical questions? In Court Clerk

Motion practice:

Set forth your practices and procedures for scheduling motion hearings. Call to schedule date
Do you accept telephone calls from attorneys to rule on discovery disputes that occur during depositions? No
How much time do you allot for motion hearings? 30 mins on avg
Do you have particular requirements or procedures relating to requests to amend the scheduling order? No

Written submissions:

Do you want to receive paper courtesy copies of the parties' written submissions? If you do, set forth the number and preferred format of courtesy copies and identify any document type you do not want to receive. No Courtesy copies please

In-court proceedings:
Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to attorney's use of technology in the courtroom and during trial. open to use of all helpful technology
Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to the submissions of additional legal authority or other materials at or after oral argument. when requested
Do you permit parties to bifurcate oral argument so different attorneys address different legal issues? yes

Pretrial procedures:

What is your schedule for a typical trial day? 9-12 1:30-4:30
Do you impose time limits with respect to opening statements and closing arguments? No
Identify your practices with respect to the use of technology in the courtroom during trial. Use to the greatest extent possible
Set forth your practices and procedures with respect to marking and using exhibits. Court Clerk marks exhibits
May attorneys obtain daily transcripts during trial? If so, what procedure should attorneys follow? contact the Court reporter in advance