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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 Justice Born Joined Term ends Mandatory retirement Appointed by Law school
Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea (1961-10-06) October 6, 1961 (age 61) January 11, 2006 (as Associate Justice)
July 1, 2010 (as Chief Justice) 		2024 October 31, 2031 Tim Pawlenty (R) Georgetown
1 Barry Anderson (1954-10-24) October 24, 1954 (age 68) October 13, 2004 2024 October 31, 2024 Tim Pawlenty (R) Minnesota
2 Margaret Chutich (1958-06-18) June 18, 1958 (age 64) March 17, 2016 2024 June 30, 2028 Mark Dayton (D) Michigan
3 Gordon Moore (1963-04-06) April 6, 1963 (age 59) August 3, 2020 2028 April 30, 2033 Tim Walz (D) Iowa
4 Paul Thissen (1966-12-10) December 10, 1966 (age 56) May 14, 2018 2026 December 31, 2036 Mark Dayton (D) Chicago
5 Anne McKeig (1967-02-09) February 9, 1967 (age 56) August 31, 2016 2024 February 28, 2037 Mark Dayton (D) Hamline
6 Natalie Hudson (1957-01-13) January 13, 1957 (age 66) October 26, 2015 2028 January 31, 2027 Mark Dayton (D) Minnesota

Sources: [9][10]

Images

  • Minnesota State Capitol Supreme Court chamber

    Minnesota State Capitol Supreme Court chamber

  • The historic court chamber seen from the side

    The historic court chamber seen from the side

  • Justices portray predecessors on Statehood Day

    Justices portray predecessors on Statehood Day

  • The Minnesota Judicial Center

    The Minnesota Judicial Center

Important 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 on-demand abortion in the state is constitutional.

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