On September 14, 2011, Governor Mark Dayton appointed Carruthers as a judge to the Minnesota Fourth District Court.
He won election to the House in 1986 from Brooklyn Center, representing District 47B, which included portions of Hennepin County.
[1] He also maintained a private practice and served as prosecutor for the city of Shorewood during this same time period.
When Anderson stepped down from the House leadership in 1997, Carruthers succeeded him as Speaker.
He remained in that position until 1999, when the DFL majority was defeated by the Republican Party, and Steve Sviggum succeeded him as Speaker.