Rau, Steven E.

English

Mitchell Hamline School of Law

William Mitchell Law ReviewVolume 15 | Issue 1 Article 91989A Tribute to Douglas K. AmdahlSteven E. RauFollow this and additional works at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlrThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviewsand Journals at Mitchell Hamline Open Access. It has been accepted forinclusion in William Mitchell Law Review by an authorized administratorof Mitchell Hamline Open Access. For more information, please contactsean.felhofer@mitchellhamline.edu.© Mitchell Hamline School of LawRecommended CitationRau, Steven E. (1989) "A Tribute to Douglas K. Amdahl," William Mitchell Law Review: Vol. 15: Iss. 1, Article 9.Available at: http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlr/vol15/iss1/9A TRIBUTE TO DOUGLAS K. AMDAHLSTEVEN E. RAutWhen the William Mitchell Law Review called me and askedme to write a few paragraphs about Chief Justice Amdahl forthe issue commemorating his stewardship of the MinnesotaState Courts, I quickly agreed. Unfortunately, the task becamemore difficult to write something that didn't sound so muchlike the memorials that punctuate every other volume of Fed-eral Supplement. Ultimately, when writing or describing an in-dividual that you love, admire, and respect, the only words thatcome to mind are superlatives.Unquestionably, the one-year period from August of 1983 toAugust of 1984, when I served as law clerk to the ChiefJustice,was one of the happiest times in my short life. The Chief andthe satisfaction of working for him were the reasons for myyear of bliss. During this year and in the years that followed, Ilearned of the joy of fishing for smallmouth bass in southernMinnesota. No one, however, enjoyed those short, quick tugson the fishing line more than the Chief. Each fish he caughtelicited the respond of a five-year-old boy catching his first fish.I also learned (or attempted to anyway) the importance ofdetail. After furiously drafting a bench memo or a draft opin-ion for the Chief, I would spend hours searching for mis-spelled words, misplaced commas, improper cites, etc. Then,after I was certain that I had caught every single error, I wouldhand my product into the Chief. The Chief, a stickler for de-tail, almost inevitably would find a typo, a misspelled word or amisplaced comma if one was to be found. The logic and struc-ture of the Chief's opinions were also a trademark. He was apatient teacher and a judge who always asked himself whethera result was fair.Chief Justice Douglas K. Amdahl has devoted himself to thecourts of this state and the people of this state for over twentyyears. He has accepted his tasks with cheerfulness and hasnever hesitated to work late into the night. I hope that thet Former law clerk for Chief Justice Amdahl (1983-84); associate at Maun,Hayes, Simon, Johanneson, Brehl and Odlaug.1Rau: A Tribute to Douglas K. AmdahlPublished by Mitchell Hamline Open Access, 198932 WILLIAM MITCHELL IL W REVIEW [Vol. 15Chief takes the time after leaving the bench to fish all thestreams and ponds in Minnesota that he's always wanted to fishand hunt the Elk in Montana that he's always wanted to hunt.2William Mitchell Law Review, Vol. 15, Iss. 1 [1989], Art. 9http://open.mitchellhamline.edu/wmlr/vol15/iss1/9

A Tribute to Douglas K. Amdahl

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A Tribute to Douglas K. Amdahl

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