On Friday, October 17, 2025, MPR News reported that Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro rejected a request from retired Anoka County Judge John Dehen to legally change his first name to “Judge.” The ruling comes after Dehen, who retired on October 10, faced suspension by the Minnesota Supreme Court due to multiple instances of misconduct during his tenure.
Dehen’s initial petition, filed in August, sought to amend his legal name from “John Peter Dehen” to “Judge John Peter Dehen.” Given Dehen’s extensive service in Anoka County, the case was assigned to Judge Castro in St. Paul to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
Judge Castro, in his decision, stated that Dehen’s application was made “in bad faith and with intent to mislead.” He emphasized that allowing a former judge, suspended for abusing his authority, to reclaim the title he was stripped of would undermine the integrity of the justice system.
Castro clarified that Dehen was not simply replacing his first name but rather seeking to add “Judge” before his existing name, allowing him to be addressed as “Judge John Dehen.” The judge argued that this would enable Dehen to present himself as a judge, a position he held for 15 years but no longer occupies.
In addition to denying the name change, Castro also rejected Dehen’s request to keep the petition confidential. However, he did order the redaction of Dehen’s home address from public court records, adhering to state law.
The Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision to suspend Dehen for nine months without pay, issued on September 22, cited “flagrant and egregious” actions on the bench. Anticipating his retirement, the justices also suspended Dehen from practicing law.
The court found that Dehen improperly conducted a hearing involving confidential juvenile matters from a moving vehicle while en route to a family member’s swim meet. Furthermore, he was found to have improperly directed an administrator to grant his court reporter a raise, despite a clear conflict of interest.
However, the Supreme Court disagreed with a finding by the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards that Dehen had violated bias standards by considering juveniles’ immigration status in several guardianship cases.
Source: MPR News
