Judge Edward S. Wilson graduated from Macalester College and the University of Minnesota School of Law. He worked as a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis and the Neighborhood Justice Center where he represented indigent clients in criminal court.
He was appointed to the Ramsey County (Minnesota) District Court bench in 1987 and served as the presiding judge of the Criminal Team from 2008 to 2013.
In 2002, Judge Wilson was nominated by the United States Department of State to serve as an international judge with the United Nations mission in Kosovo. While serving in Kosovo in 2003, he presided over cases involving war crimes, weapons trafficking, ethnically motivated crimes, organized crime and homicide.
Judge Wilson retired from the bench in 2018 after serving for 30 years. He currently has senior judge status.