Tenth Judicial District Court Judge James E. Dehn (Counties of Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Sherburne, Wright, and Washington) has been awarded the 2006 Motherís Against Drunk (MADD) ìGreater Minnesota Judge Award.î

This award recognizes Judge Dehn for his nine-year judicial drunk driving tracking program that was instrumental in developing the TZD (Toward Zero Death) Liquor Provider Partnership.

Judge Dehnís multi-year study tracked the last place of drink for DUI offenders, along with their alcohol test results. With this information, liquor providers, law enforcement, and other community leaders were brought to the table in numerous meetings, to address this issue.

A number of programs, including sober cab, have been implemented as a result of this partnership.

This is the third MADD award given to Judge Dehn.

In 1996 he received the National Presidential Award for Criminal Justice by pioneering the pre-trial Home Electronic Alcohol Monitoring program for repeat DUI offenders.

Currently over 8,000 offenders are placed on this program in Minnesota.

In 2001, he received the National MADD Distinguished Service Award for his work in developing a community wide anti-alcohol youth poster/slogan contest, centered around prom events.

Judge Dehnís drunk driving programs have been covered by TIME magazine and the all Street Journal.

He is a national speaker on DUI issues and serves as an adjunct instructor on the faculty of the National Judicial Collage in Reno, Nev.