Minnesota judge hit by car, dies while out for run on Florida vacation: report

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A beloved Minnesota judge championed for pioneering a local mental health court died after being struck by a vehicle while running in Florida on vacation, according to reports. 

Judge Sally L. Tarnowski, assigned to the Sixth Judicial District Court in St. Louis County, died Monday while on vacation in Florida, the Minnesota Judicial Branch confirmed in a statement. 

"All of us within the Minnesota courts community are devastated by the loss of Judge Tarnowski," Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea said in a statement. "Beyond her exemplary service to Minnesota, Judge Tarnowski was a vibrant person whose commitment to justice shined through in everything she did."

Among her many accomplishments, Tarnowski championed mental health treatment court, which offers offenders a pathway out of the justice system by completing a treatment program to stop the behavior that led them to court, according to the state judicial branch. She also supported early neutral evaluation in family court, which facilitates prompt dispute resolution for custody, parenting time, and financial matters.

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"Judge Tarnowski approached her work with tenacity and dedication," Sixth District Chief Judge Leslie Beiers added. "Her loss will be deeply felt by all of us in the Sixth District, and by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her."

The Minneapolis Star Tribune cited family in reporting that the 63-year-old judge was struck by a vehicle while out running on vacation. 

Minnesota Judge Sally L. Tarnowski died in Florida on Monday, reports say.  (Minnesota Judicial Branch )

Local reports say neither the Minnesota Judicial Branch nor Florida authorities could immediately confirm the cause of death. 

A moment of silence was held in Tarnowski’s honor before the St. Louis County Board’s scheduled meeting on Tuesday.

Appointed by former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Tarnowski had served as a judge in St. Louis County since 2007.  She was chief judge of the Sixth Judicial District from 2016-2020. Her term was not to expire until 2027. Tarnowski graduated from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in 1986. 

"Judge Tarnowski died suddenly this week while vacationing in Florida," the school said in a statement on Facebook. "She was the epitome of the public service that we aim to instill in our students, having served as a judge since 2007 and as chief judge for the judicial district for four years."

Judge Sally Tarnowski, seen presiding during an Indian Child Welfare Act case hearing in 2019, reportedly died Monday while vacationing in Florida.  (Courtney Perry/For the Washington Post)

Chief Public Defender Dan Lew, who worked with Tarnowski to establish the Community Integration Court, remembered his late colleague for "her tremendous courage for those who are the most hurt: those in mental health crisis, unsheltered, and unloved by too many." 

"Soon after Sally piloted the state’s first mental health court, and we can now see those beautiful faces in our community who are now job coaches, substance use counselors, managers, small business owners, fathers and mothers — all living better lives," Lew told the Duluth News Tribune. 

Tarnowski also was said to have presided over the Indian Child Welfare Court at the Duluth courthouse. 

"Her legacy here at the courthouse is just huge," St. Louis County Attorney Kim Maki told the Duluth News Tribune. "She was involved in so many things, and she was such a caring person to the people that the courts and our office deal with. It will be impossible to fill her shoes."

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"One of the things that people note most about her is her ability to reach people where they're at, and to listen to them when they have something to say," Maki added. "She would listen to the family trauma that they experienced and special circumstances that applied to different families. I know that she was very, very well respected by a lot of the families who went through her court."

In Tarnowski’s honor, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa issued a statement remembering her "contributions to establishing the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Courtroom in St. Louis County, which was emulated in courtrooms across the area, will always be a tremendous accomplishment."

Judge Sally L. Tarnowski is widely mounded by colleagues, prosecutors and public defenders. (Ulrich Baumgarten via Getty Images)

"Her continued support for the equality of Native American families was unheralded and a massive loss for the 6th Judicial District," the statement added. 

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"As a passionate defense attorney, I often disagreed with her rulings in my cases," public defender Veronica Surges told the newspaper. "At the same time, I deeply respected her because I could tell how much she cared about the people in my courtroom — especially my most mentally ill clients. Underneath her tough exterior she was one of the nicest, most compassionate, and most patient people I have ever met." Surges said one of her clients whom Tarnowski sentenced to prison even called crying upon learning of the judge's passing.