Hon. Mychal A. Bruggeman

Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream: Kemps’ Old Fashioned Vanilla Chocolate Chip, preferably melting over a slice of bourbon pecan pie.

Judge Bruggeman was appointed on July 18, 2025, by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Minnesota. He succeeds Judge Michael E. Ridgway, who retired on May 31, 2025.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the University of Minnesota law school, Judge Bruggeman began his career at the United States Department of Justice, Civil Tax Division in Washington, D.C. He then joined the law firm of Mackall Crounse & Moore, PLC, in Minneapolis, where he spent eight years in commercial bankruptcy and real estate litigation. He became the last equity partner elected by Mackall in its 95-year history before its merger with the Wisconsin law firm DeWitt, Ross & Stevens.

Judge Bruggeman then had the opportunity to join retired bankruptcy judge Dennis O’Brien and Chapter 7 trustee Nauni J. Manty at the firm Manty & Associates, P.A. The team at Manty worked on many exciting bankruptcies, including the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and United States Installment Realty Company, a case originally commenced in 1923 involving the administration of disputed Texas mineral rights. Judge Bruggeman worked the next eleven years between the Manty firm and another suburban Saint Paul firm, Tiede Grabarski, PLLC, where he expanded his practice into western Wisconsin and tackled a broad range of other general state and federal litigation.

Judge Bruggeman has served as an officer and president of the bankruptcy section of the Minnesota State Bar Association. He formerly volunteered for Legal Aid, the University of Minnesota tax clinic, and a bankruptcy advice clinic. He also has presented regularly at continuing legal education programs.