Minnesota Supreme Court

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Minnesota Supreme Court
Minnesota-StateSeal.svg
EstablishedMay 24, 1858 (1858-05-24)
LocationSaint Paul, Minnesota
Composition methodNonpartisan election, appointment by the governor if filling midterm vacancy
Authorized byMinnesota Constitution
Judge term length6 years (mandatory retirement at the age of 70)
Number of positions7
WebsiteOfficial website
Chief Justice
CurrentlyLorie Skjerven Gildea
SinceJuly 1, 2010
Jurist term endsJanuary 6, 2025
Politics of Minnesota
Minnesota-StateSeal.svg
Constitution
Executive
Legislature
Judiciary
Elections
Subdivisions
Federal representation
  • v
  • t

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]

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.[6]

In May 2020, Governor Tim Walz announced the appointment of Nobles County District Judge Gordon Moore, who replaced retiring Justice David Lillehaug.[7]

Salary[]

The salary for the Supreme Court Chief Justice is $205,362 and $186,692 for associate justices.[8]

Members[]

Main article: List of justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court
See also: List of Chief Justices of Minnesota
Seat Name Born Appointed by Began service Current term end date Mandatory retirement date Law school
Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea (1961-10-06) October 6, 1961 (age 59) Tim Pawlenty (R) January 11, 2006[a] January 6, 2025 October 31, 2031 Georgetown
1 Barry Anderson (1954-10-24) October 24, 1954 (age 66) Tim Pawlenty (R) October 13, 2004 January 6, 2025 October 31, 2024 Minnesota
2 Margaret Chutich (1958-06-18) June 18, 1958 (age 63) Mark Dayton (D) March 17, 2016 January 6, 2025 June 30, 2028 Michigan
3 Gordon Moore (1963-04-06) April 6, 1963 (age 58) Tim Walz (D) August 3, 2020 January 2, 2023 April 30, 2033 Iowa
4 Paul Thissen (1966-12-10) December 10, 1966 (age 54) Mark Dayton (D) May 14, 2018 January 5, 2027 December 31, 2036 Chicago
5 Anne McKeig (1967-02-09) February 9, 1967 (age 54) Mark Dayton (D) August 31, 2016 January 6, 2025 February 28, 2037 Hamline
6 Natalie Hudson (1957-01-13) January 13, 1957 (age 64) Mark Dayton (D) October 26, 2015 January 2, 2023 January 31, 2027 Minnesota
  1. ^ Associate Justice from January 11, 2006 to July 1, 2010.

Sources: [9][10]

Images[]

  • Minnesota State Capitol Supreme Court chamber

  • The historic court chamber seen from the side

  • Justices portray predecessors on Statehood Day

  • The Minnesota Judicial Center

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Supreme Court" (PDF). Minnesota Judicial Branch. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  2. ^ "Minn. Const. art. VI, sec. 7". Minnesota Constitution. Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  3. ^ "Minn. Const. art. VI, sec. 8". Minnesota Constitution. Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Statutes 2013, section 490.121, subdivision 21d". Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  5. ^ "Minnesota Statutes 2013, section 490.121, subdivision 1". Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  6. ^ Lopez, Ricardo (June 28, 2016). "Dayton selects McKeig as next Supreme Court justice". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  7. ^ Montemayor, Stephen (May 16, 2020). "Gov. Walz makes Worthington judge his first Minnesota Supreme Court selection". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "Minnesota Judicial Branch - How to Become a Judge". www.mncourts.gov. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  9. ^ "State Judiciary" (PDF). 2017–2018 Minnesota Legislative Manual (Blue Book). Minnesota Secretary of State. pp. 369–70. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  10. ^ "Supreme Court Justices". Minnesota Judicial Branch. Retrieved January 11, 2019.

External links[]

Coordinates: 44°57′16″N 93°6′1″W / 44.95444°N 93.10028°W / 44.95444; -93.10028

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