Gail Chang Bohr

Gail Chang was born on March 25, 1944, the 9th of 15 children born to Chinese shopkeepers in Kingston, Jamaica. She received a full scholarship to Wellesley College and came to the United States in 1962. She received her BA in 1966. She later earned her MSc in social work from the Simmons College School of Social Work and worked as a clinical social worker for 19 years. She received her JD from the William Mitchell College of Law, graduating magna cum laude in 1991.

Following law school, Chang Bohr clerked for Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Sandy Keith. She was then an attorney for the firm of Faegre & Benson in Minneapolis. From 1995 to 2008, she worked as the executive director of the Children's Law Center of Minnesota, training over 250 volunteer lawyers to represent youth in foster care. She has received multiple awards for her work as a child advocate.

Chang Bohr ran for Second Judicial District judge for Ramsey County, Minnesota in 2008. She was endorsed by former Vice President Walter Mondale and six retired justices from the Minnesota Supreme Court. In the race, against former state legislator Howard Orenstein, she received 51.87% of the vote to her opponent's 47.49%. She took office on January 5, 2009 and became the first Asian American judge to serve Ramsey County. Chang Bohr reached the mandatory retirement age for judges in Minnesota before the end of her term. She retired on March 31, 2014, and then served as a senior judge for the State of Minnesota until June 30, 2015.

Chang Bohr served as an international consultant with the National Center for State Courts Trinidad and Tobago Juvenile Court Project.