Hon. Joseph A. Bueltel

Joseph A. Bueltel is a Third Judicial District judge serving Steele County, Minnesota. He was appointed by Governor Jesse Ventura in 2002 and has been elected to full terms in 2004, 2010, and 2016, running unopposed in the latter two elections. Bueltel earned an associate degree from Normandale Community College in 1982, a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1984, and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law in 1987. He began his legal career as a judicial law clerk in 1987, joined the law firm Smith & Tollefson in 1988, and served as an assistant and later chief public defender in the 3rd Judicial District's Office of the Public Defender from 1992 to 2002. He has also volunteered with the Steele County Bar Association, the Steele County Children’s Justice Initiative, the Third Judicial District Access to Justice Committee, the Minnesota District Judges Association, and the Criminal Jury Instruction Guides Committee.