[1] He attended Gonzaga University as an undergraduate and law student, receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1969 and a Juris Doctor in 1973.

[2] Dietzen was an attorney with the law firm of Larkin, Hoffman, Daly & Lindren, Ltd., of Bloomington, Minnesota, from 1978 to 2004, and with the firm of Richter, Wimberly, & Ericson in Spokane, Washington, from 1973 to 1977.

[1] He was appointed to the court by Pawlenty after the resignation of Justice Sam Hanson.

[3] From December 15, 2004, to February 19, 2008, he served as a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

In 2001 and 2004, Dietzen contributed $250 to the reelection campaign of Norm Coleman, with his last donation occurring almost a year before he became a judge.