James P. Metzen (October 26, 1943 – July 11, 2016) was an American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate.

A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 52, which included portions of Dakota County in the southeastern Twin Cities metropolitan area.

On the morning of May 22, 2007, Metzen was arrested for driving under the influence just hours after the 2007 legislative session came to an end.

He wrote a letter of apology for the incident to Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and his peers.

On June 14, 2007, he was sentenced to 20 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $377 fine for the arrest.