23 August 2023
Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice Natalie Hudson will be the state’s next chief justice, and the first person of color in the role, Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday.
Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice Natalie Hudson. (Courtesy of the governor’s office)
Hudson was St. Paul City Attorney from 1992 to 1994. She went on to practice criminal appellate law in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office for eight years and she served as a Minnesota Court of Appeals judge for 13 years.
In 2015, Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Hudson to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Hudson will take over as chief justice when Lorie Gildea retires in October.
Walz announced Wednesday that Karl Procaccini will serve as Supreme Court associate justice, filling the vacancy that will occur when Hudson becomes chief justice.
Procaccini teaches law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and previously served as general counsel in Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan’s offices. Before that, he was a partner at Greene Espel PLLP, a law firm in Minneapolis.
‘Tremendous responsibility’
Hudson said in a statement that she regards the job of chief justice as “a tremendous responsibility that I approach with humility and resolve, seeking to continue the work of my predecessors in administering one of the best state court systems in the nation, and always seeking to deliver the most accessible, highest-quality court services for the citizens of Minnesota.”
There have been 21 chief justices on the Minnesota Supreme Court since 1849 and two of which have been women, “but not one of them has been a person of color,” Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan wrote on social media. “Today, Justice Natalie Hudson is making history as the first Black woman appointed to lead our state’s judiciary.”
Walz called Hudson “one of our state’s most experienced jurists.”
“She has a strong reputation as a leader and consensus builder,” he said in a statement. “I know that she will use her decades of judicial experience and deep understanding of our justice system to lead the Judicial Branch with a steady hand and strong conviction. I am confident that she will advance a vision that promotes fairness and upholds the dignity of all Minnesotans.”
Hudson earned her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School. She began her legal career in 1982 as a staff attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, representing clients with little money who had housing issues.
She moved into private practice with Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi in Minneapolis. She then became assistant dean of student affairs at Hamline University School of Law before taking over as St. Paul City Attorney. In 1994, she became an assistant attorney general for the state in the criminal appeals and health licensing divisions.
She served as a member of the original Minnesota Supreme Court Racial Bias Task Force from 1991 to 1993 and later served on the task force’s implementation committee. She is on the advisory boards for Minnesota Women Lawyers and for the University of Minnesota Law School.
Hudson is a member of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, and the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers.