Judge R.A. Jim Randall was among the first gubernatorial appointments to the Minnesota Court of Appeals after its creation by constitutional amendment in 1982. It’s a sizable feather in his cap, but Randall — who had been active in the 1990s in a self-help society that put addicts to work rehabbing houses — swore he’d never forget that the people in his courtroom were every bit his equals in the eyes of the law.

Dick Long, a like-minded businessman, split his time between running Long Cadillac in St. Paul and volunteering with the city’s homeless and chemically dependent.

When Long donated a barbecue grill to Catholic Charities’ downtown Dorothy Day Center, Randall figured he could take up a collection among his fellow judges and coax a few to help him fry up burgers one holiday weekend. Bret Byfield, a longtime outreach worker to the homeless and drummer for the band The Rhythm Pups, brought in live music.

That was 21 years ago, and the annual Memorial Day weekend tradition — an unofficial launch of summer at St. Paul’s most public-facing downtown shelter and resource center for the homeless — has never skipped a beat.

Retired Court of Appeals Judge Jim Randall talks with people as he and other members of the State of Minnesota Judicial Branch host a BBQ cookout at the Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place in St. Paul on Friday, May 24, 2024. Randall began the tradition 21 years-ago as way to serve those who are experiencing difficulties. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

“I said, ‘I could do that,’” recalled Randall, sitting Friday in the dining hall of the Catholic Charities St. Paul Opportunity Center, surrounded by a cadre of recent law school graduates and a who’s who of the state’s top legal minds, all dressed in aprons and disposable food prep gloves instead of power suits and judicial robes.

In all, Friday’s cook-out for the homeless — which shifted indoors at the last minute due to a morning rain — drew some 20 to 25 law clerks, eight judges from the Minnesota Court of Appeals, state Supreme Court Justices Sarah Hennesy and Gordon Moore, and federal bankruptcy court Judge William Fisher.

Also present were nearly 700 guests, well fed with hamburgers, coleslaw, baked beans, chips, soda and ice cream donated by the state’s judicial workers. Not all the guests were homeless. Longtime Catholic Charities patron Eric Foster said he had found stable housing, but he and others still returned each year for the annual rite of summer.

“I appreciate the food,” said Foster with a smile. “It’s a routine for me, just to come down and see the people I haven’t seen in a while. I was homeless at one time.”

Randall, now retired from the bench, was joined at his table by another volunteer food server — appeals court Senior Judge Jill Halbrooks, who happily agreed to help Randall 21 years ago, and on every Friday before Memorial Day ever since. Next to her was her daughter, medical malpractice attorney Besse McDonald, who has accompanied her mom at the annual barbecue since high school.

“It’s kind of an alumni event,” said Judge Diane Bratvold, who has sat on the Court of Appeals since 2016. “It brings a smile to everybody’s face.”

Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice Gordon L. Moore, III, center, his wife, Jane, left, and federal Judge William J. Fisher, right, plate up burgers and baked beans for guests as they other members of the state and federal Judicial Branch host a BBQ cookout at the Catholic Charities Dorothy Day Place in St. Paul on Friday, May 24, 2024. Retired Court of Appeals Judge Jim Randall began the tradition 21 years-ago as way to serve those who are experiencing difficulties. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Being a judge “is an important role, but it’s a tough role. In some ways we’re a heavy-handed parent, always telling people what to do,” added Bratvold, who now chairs the event.

“All of us need a helping hand sometimes,” she said. “It just brings us together in a way as a community that we don’t usually get to do. I like the fact that it’s Memorial Day because we’re here thinking about our larger family.”

Byfield recalled working closely with Randall back in the 1990s on the Phoenix Group, an organized effort to put “imperfect people, as we all are” to work fixing up homes, with the goal of “engag(ing) with each other as assets, not as problems that need to treated.”

He was there 21 years ago when the first Memorial Day weekend barbecue launched, and he was happy to be there again Friday. “It’s a beautiful thing,” Byfield said, “that has been embedded in the culture of the court.”

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By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A New Jersey electrician who repeatedly attacked police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Friday to 12 years in prison by a judge who called him “a menace to our society.”

Christopher Joseph Quaglin argued with and insulted U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden before and after the judge handed him one of the longest prison sentences among hundreds of Capitol riot cases.

“You’re Trump’s worst mistake of 2016,” Quaglin told McFadden, who was nominated to the court by then-President Donald Trump in 2017.

Quaglin, 38, joined the mob of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol. He injured a police officer when he choked and tackled him to the ground. Quaglin assaulted other officers with stolen police shields, metal bike racks and pepper spray. He clashed with police for roughly three hours while wearing an American flag-themed “Make America Great Again” sweatshirt.

“What an outrage. What a disgrace,” the judge said.

Quaglin complained about his jail conditions and pushed conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 siege during his rambling remarks in the courtroom. He also took issue with labeling the Jan. 6 attack as an insurrection.

“If I wanted to bring an insurrection, I would have brought a long gun,” he said.

The judge, who cut him off after several minutes, told Quaglin that his combative remarks were a “really bad idea” before sentencing.

“It’s a kangaroo court,” Quaglin responded.

Prosecutors urged the judge to sentence Quaglin to 14 years in prison. They said he was one of the most violent rioters on Jan. 6, when a mob of Donald Trump supporters disrupted the joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.

The judge convicted Quaglin of six separate assaults on police. Prosecutors say he struck or pushed another dozen officers.

“Quaglin understood the constitutional significance of January 6, and intended to disrupt Congress’ certification of the 2020 election by any means necessary, including by viciously assaulting police officers for hours,” prosecutors wrote.

Approximately 1,400 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Nearly 900 of them have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving a term of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years. Only seven Capitol riot defendants have received a longer prison sentence than Quaglin, according to an Associated Press review of court records.

McFadden convicted Quaglin of 14 counts last July after a “stipulated bench trial,” which means the judge decided the case without a jury and based on facts that both sides agreed to before the trial. Such trials allow defendants to maintain appeal rights that are waived by a guilty plea.

Quaglin traveled from his home in North Brunswick, New Jersey, to attend then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6. Leaving the rally early, Quaglin recorded a video of himself as he marched to the Capitol wearing a helmet, a gas mask and a backpack.

After storming barricades near Peace Circle, Quaglin repeatedly attacked officers who were trying to hold off the mob. Capitol Police Sgt. Troy Robinson was injured when Quaglin grabbed him by the neck and tackled him to the ground.

“Quaglin’s attack ignited a short brawl,” prosecutors wrote. “With Quaglin on top of Sergeant Robinson, other rioters came to Quaglin’s assistance and chaos broke loose.”

Quaglin “waged a relentless siege” as he joined other rioters in attacking police in a tunnel on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace, prosecutors said. He helped another rioter steal a shield from an officer. He pepper sprayed several officers in the face. And he joined the mob’s collective “heave ho” push against a police line.

“Quaglin was part of some of the most gruesome attacks in the tunnel as he worked with other rioters to ensure that officers were under constant attack,” prosecutors wrote.

Quaglin later celebrated and bragged about his participation in the riot.

“It was a great time. I got bumps and bruises. And we’re having a good time,” he said in a video posted on social media.

Defense attorney Kristi Fulnecky claims Quaglin has received inadequate medical treatment while jailed for the past three years. Fulnecky also said one of Quaglin’s former attorneys coerced him into accepting a stipulated bench trial instead of a contested trial.

McFadden told Quaglin that his actions on Jan. 6 were “shocking and lawless.”

“January 6th is not simply an anomaly for you,” the judge said. “You’ve allowed it to define you.”