Joseph H. Thompson (attorney)

Joseph H. Thompson is an American lawyer serving since 2025 as the acting United States attorney for the District of Minnesota.^[1]

Joseph Thompson
Official portrait, 2025
United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota
Acting
Assumed office June 2, 2025
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Lisa Kirkpatrick
Personal details
Born	Minnesota, U.S.
Education	Gustavus Adolphus College (BA) Stanford University (JD)

Education

Thompson attended Gustavus Adolphus College and received his Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School.^[2]

Career

U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota

On June 2, 2025, President Donald Trump appointed Thompson to be the United States attorney for the District of Minnesota. Thompson previously served as chief of the Fraud & Public Corruption section in the U.S. Attorney's Office, prosecuting fraud against state and federal government programs. Before that, he served as a federal prosecutor in the District of Minnesota.^[3]

Thompson succeeded Lisa Kirkpatrick as acting U.S. Attorney, and Andrew M. Luger as U.S. Attorney.

Thompson was serving as U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota during the 2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators.^[4] The U.S. Attorney's Office investigated the shootings in partnership with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, the FBI, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the ATF, Brooklyn Park Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Sherriff’s Office, Champlin Police Department, New Hope Police Department, and the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section.^[5] On June 16, 2025, Thompson led a press conference announcing the apprehension of Vance Luther Boelter in the case.^[6][7]

On July 15, Thompson announced six federal grand jury indictments against Boelter.^[8]