Tribute: Minnesota Law Mourns the Passing of Hon. Patrick Diamond ’86

The Honorable Patrick Diamond ’86, passed away on February 9, at age 64. Diamond was born in Hudson, Wis., and attended St. Thomas Academy and Hamline University before entering the University of Minnesota Law School. He was the research and note editor for the Minnesota Law Review. He went on to clerk for a federal judge in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and then served as Hennepin County deputy attorney from 1992 to 2012 for both Mike Freeman and Amy Klobuchar. Diamond was then appointed to the Ramsey County District Court bench by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2012.

Of Judge Diamond, former Hennepin County Attorney Freeman said, “Pat was a very smart man who had great judgment and was deeply committed to justice. He always wanted to figure out what was the right and just thing to do. He was a good trial lawyer.” Freeman recalled how Diamond would work through creative solutions to problems: “He was more committed to justice than almost anybody I ever knew.” Sen. Klobuchar said in a statement, “Judge Pat Diamond was a brilliant lawyer and a dedicated public servant with a big heart. He ran the appeals and white collar crime division when I was Hennepin County Attorney. He was simply loved in the office.”

His interests were varied including volunteering for many years as a youth camp counselor at Cass Lake when his children were campers, forming a curling team with fellow judges David Brown and Paul Scoggin, and sailing on Lake Superior, earning his captain’s license with his wife last year. He is survived by his wife, Beth, two sons, and a granddaughter.