Minnesota Supreme Court

Minnesota Supreme Court
Minnesota Supreme Court
Established	May 24, 1858
Location	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Composition method	Nonpartisan election, appointment by the governor if filling midterm vacancy
Authorized by	Minnesota Constitution
Appeals to	Supreme Court of the United States
Judge term length	6 years (mandatory retirement at the age of 70)
Number of positions	7
Website	Official website
Chief Justice
Currently	Natalie Hudson
Since	October 2, 2023
Jurist term ends	January 31, 2027

The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center.

History

The court was first assembled as a three-judge panel in 1849 when Minnesota was still a territory. The first members were lawyers from outside the region, appointed by President Zachary Taylor. The court system was rearranged when Minnesota became a state in 1858.

Appeals from Minnesota District Courts went directly to the Minnesota Supreme Court until the Minnesota Court of Appeals, an intermediate appellate court, was created in 1983 to handle most of those cases. The court now considers about 900 appeals per year and accepts review in about one in eight cases.^[1] Before the Court of Appeals was created, the Minnesota Supreme Court handled about 1,800 cases a year. Certain appeals can go directly to the Supreme Court, such as those involving taxes, first degree murder, and workers' compensation.

Composition

The seven justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court are elected to renewable six-year terms.^[2] When a midterm vacancy occurs, the governor of Minnesota appoints a replacement to a term that ends after the general election occurring more than one year after the appointment.^[3] Most vacancies occur during a term. The most recent election to an open seat on the court was in 1992, when former Minnesota Vikings player Alan Page was elected. Judges in Minnesota have a mandatory retirement age of 70.^[4]^[5]

In 1977, Rosalie E. Wahl became the first woman to serve on the Court.^[6] In 1993, Alan Page became African American to serve on the Court.^[7]

Anne McKeig, a descendant of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, became the first Native American justice in 2016. Her appointment also marked the second time the court had a majority of women since 1991.^[8]

In May 2020, Governor Tim Walz announced the appointment of Nobles County District Judge Gordon Moore, who replaced retiring Justice David Lillehaug.^[9]

Salary

The salary for the Supreme Court Chief Justice is $205,362 and $186,692 for associate justices.^[10]

Members

Seat	Justice^[11]	Born	Joined	Term ends	Mandatory retirement^[a]	Appointed by	Law school
Chief Justice	Natalie Hudson	(1957-01-13) January 13, 1957 (age 67)	October 26, 2015^[b]	2024	January 31, 2027	Tim Walz (DFL)^[c]	Minnesota
5	Anne McKeig	(1967-02-09) February 9, 1967 (age 57)	August 31, 2016	2024	February 28, 2037	Mark Dayton (DFL)	Hamline
4	Paul Thissen	(1966-12-10) December 10, 1966 (age 57)	May 14, 2018	2026	December 31, 2036	Mark Dayton (DFL)	Chicago
3	Gordon Moore	(1963-04-06) April 6, 1963 (age 61)	August 3, 2020	2028	April 30, 2033	Tim Walz (DFL)	Iowa
6	Karl Procaccini	1982 or 1983 (age 41–42)	October 2, 2023	2024	2052 or 2053	Tim Walz (DFL)	Harvard
1	Sarah Hennesy	1969 or 1970 (age 54–55)	May 13, 2024	2026	2039 or 2040	Tim Walz (DFL)	Drake
2	Theodora Gaïtas	1970 or 1971 (age 53–54)	August 1, 2024	2026	2040 or 2041	Tim Walz (DFL)	Minnesota

^ Justices must retire at the end of the month in which they reach the age of 70.
^ Took office as Chief Justice on October 2, 2023 after being elevated by Governor Walz.
^ Originally appointed by Governor Mark Dayton (D) as Associate Justice. Subsequently appointed by Governor Tim Walz (D) as Chief Justice.

Notable cases

Baker v. Nelson, 291 Minn. 310, 191 N.W.2d 185 (1971), in which the Court held that denial of the statutory entitlement demanded by gay citizens to marry the adult of one's choice does not offend the United States Constitution; overturned by Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. 644 (2015).
Doe v. Gomez, 27 Minn. 542 N.W.2d 17 (1995), in which the Court held that the right of privacy under the Minnesota Constitution includes the right to an abortion and that the Minnesota government may not deny funding for abortion while funding other pregnancy-related medical services.