Lori Swanson

Lori Swanson
29th Minnesota Attorney General
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2, 2007
Governor	Tim Pawlenty Mark Dayton
Preceded by	Mike Hatch
Personal details
Born	(1966-12-16) December 16, 1966
Political party	Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Residence	Eagan, Minnesota
Profession	Attorney

Lori Swanson (born December 16, 1966) is the Attorney General of the US state of Minnesota. She was elected on November 7, 2006, and took office on January 2, 2007, succeeding Mike Hatch, who declined to run for re-election in order to run for governor. She is the first woman elected Minnesota's Attorney General.^[1]

Biography

Swanson served as Deputy Attorney General during Mike Hatch's first term, and as Solicitor General during his second term. She also served as chair of the Consumer Advisory Council to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington D.C. in 2006. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and her J.D. magna cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul.^[1][2]

Swanson was re-elected on November 2, 2010, defeating Republican challenger Chris Barden.^[3]

Awards and honors

Swanson was named one of the “Top Ten Lawyers in America” by the national publication Lawyers USA in 2009.^[4][5] In 2012 the national publication HealthLeaders Magazine named Swanson one of 20 Americans who is making a difference in health care.^[6] She also received the Robert Drinan “Champion of Justice” award from the National Consumer Law Center, a Washington-based non-profit organization that acts as a national clearing center and publisher for consumer lawyers and other legal advocates.^[7] She was also a recipient of the Pro Patria award by the Department of Defense for her work on behalf of armed service personnel.^[8] In 2010, Swanson was named Public Official of the Year by the Minnesota Nurses Association. The Drum Major Institute of New York designated Swanson’s predatory mortgage legislation on one of the ten top public policies proposed in 2008.^[9]

Activities

In 2009, Swanson filed a lawsuit against National Arbitration Forum (NAF), at that time the largest consumer arbitration organization in the country.^[10] NAF had been criticized by consumer advocacy groups, U.S. Senators, and Public Citizen for bias against consumers.^[11] Swanson alleged that NAF was owned by a group of equity funds that also were simultaneously affiliated with a national debt collection agency, Axiant, and the administration of the largest collection law firm at the time, Mann Brakken.^[12] In July 2009 NAF signed a consent order with Swanson agreeing to stop arbitrating consumer claims. Shortly thereafter, Axiant and Mann Bracken went out of business.^[13][14]

In 2012, Swanson filed a lawsuit against Accretive Health of Chicago, a hospital collection agency.^[15] The lawsuit resulted in hearings before the U.S. Senate^[16][17] and the issuance of a multi-volume compliance report involving Fairview Health Systems in Minnesota.^[18] In July 2012, Accretive signed a consent order under which it paid a $2.5 million civil penalty and agreed not to do business in Minnesota for up to six years.^[19] Accretive is believed to be the only current member of the New York Stock Exchange which is affirmatively barred from doing business in a state. In September 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) determined that Accretive’s actions at Fairview Health Systems subjected patients to “abuse and harassment,” and resulted in violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), the federal anti-patient dumping law.

Electoral history

• 2010 Race for Attorney General – General Election (Unofficial)
  • Lori Swanson (DFL) 52.9%
  • Chris Barden (GOP) 41.27%
  • Bill Dann (IP) 5.06%
  • David Hoch (Resource Party) 0.69%

• 2010 Race for Attorney General – DFL Primary
  • Lori Swanson 85.61%
  • Leo F. Meyer 14.39%

• 2006 Race for Attorney General – General Election
  • Lori Swanson (DFL) 53.24%
  • Jeff Johnson (GOP) 40.72%
  • John James (IP) 4.05%

• 2006 Race for Attorney General – DFL Primary
  • Lori Swanson 41.75%
  • Steve Kelley 37.34%
  • Bill Luther 20.91%

References

See also

Politics of Minnesota
Attorney General of Minnesota

v t e Attorneys General of Minnesota Berry Cole Colvill Cornell Wilson Start Hahn Clapp Childs Douglas Donahower Young Simpson Smith Hilton Pratt Youngquist Benson Peterson Ervin Burnquist Lord Mondale Mattson Head Spannaus Humphrey Hatch Swanson