In Memoriam ~ Hon. Robert A. "Jim" Randall, Jr. '58 - Saint John's Prep

Hon. Robert A. “Jim” Randall, Jr. ’58
Father of Tony Randall ’84

It is with deep sadness that the family of Hon. Robert A. (Jim) Randall Jr., age 83, announces his unexpected passing in Lindstrom, Minnesota, on Friday, August 9, 2024. Randall was born in Little Falls, Minnesota on August 31, 1940. He attended Saint John’s Preparatory School and Saint John’s University in Collegeville, eventually receiving his undergraduate degree from Gonzaga University in 1962.

While in college, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, where he earned the rank of Second Lieutenant. In 1967, he graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School. He moved to Hibbing, Minnesota, with his family, where he practiced criminal defense law in private practice and as a public defender for 17 years. During his time as a public defender, he connected with Native Americans across the Iron Range and defended them against the power of the state.

Judge Randall was appointed to the Minnesota Court of Appeals by Governor Rudy Perpich on April 1, 1984. He was one of the original twelve judges appointed to the court where he served full-time until 2008, and nine years as a retired judge. Randall’s tenure included working to protect the rights of criminal defendants and authoring two of the longest opinions in the history of the Court of Appeals. Randall’s passion was protecting the underserved across the state of Minnesota.

Over the years, he attended sweat lodges, learned, and respected the Native American culture. He also worked together with Catholic Charities’ Dorothy Day Center by founding a Memorial Day cookout that has been the Minnesota judicial branch’s annual tradition for the last 21 years.

He was preceded in death by his parents, R.A. (Tony) Randall Sr. and Marie Schmid Randall, stepmother, Luverne “Mickey” (Powers) Randall of Little Falls, and his wife, Monica (Eichten) Randall of Lindstrom. “The Judge,” as he was known to many, will be deeply missed by his sisters Gertrude “Googs” (Pat), Nora, and Mary Frances, his children Tony (Jessica), James, and Kathleen, along with his grandchildren Nicholas (Savannah), Gabrielle, Amelia, Monique, and Vida.

In lieu of gifts, the family requests donations to Catholic Charities – Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, a charity near and dear to Jim.