Diane is a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals, where she has been deciding appeals for 8 years. Diane has written over 400 opinions and decided more than 1200 appeals.

Diane practiced law for 26 years in Minnesota before becoming a judge. She was a trial lawyer at Fetterly & Gordon, handling product liability and other complicated civil actions involving personal injury, wrongful death, and property damage. In 2001, she joined Rider Bennett and became a partner as she focused her practice on civil appeals. Later, she moved her appellate practice to Briggs and Morgan. She handled hundreds of appeals and argued over 125 appeals in state and federal courts.

The Judicial Selection Commission recommended Diane for appointment to the Fourth Judicial District (Hennepin County), where she served as a trial judge from 2014 to 2016. The Commission recommended her for appointment to the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Governor Dayton appointed her in 2016. She was the first sitting judge elected as President of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

Minnesota voters elected Diane in 2018. She was appointed to the special redistricting panel that redrew the legislative and congressional boundaries based on the 2020 census. Both political parties praised the panel’s work as nonpartisan.

Diane grew up in Columbia Heights where she graduated from high school. She was the first one in her family to graduate from college. She earned a B.A. at Macalester College and graduated summa cum laude. She received her law degree from the University of Minnesota cum laude. She has four adult children and two grandchildren. She loves fishing, hiking, and baking sourdough bread and pies.