Judge Leonardo Castro is currently a District Court Judge in the Second Judicial District (Ramsey County). He was appointed by Gov. Dayton on June 1, 2012. Prior to his appointment he served as a public defender for 20 years in Minnesota. During that time he was Chief Public Defender of Hennepin County for 8 years.  Prior to entering law school, he served in the United States Air Force as an enlisted member.

He graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law, and received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from The University of Maryland.

Among the many boards and committees of which he has served are the Minnesota Supreme Court Criminal Rules Advisory Committee and the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Selections. He currently serves on the board of the White Bear Center for the Arts, is an Adjunct Professor at St. Thomas School of Law, teaching Advanced Evidence, and is a presenter at numerous legal seminars and trial skills advocacy programs.