27 November 2023
The first woman of color to serve as Minnesota Supreme Court’s chief justice is taking the oath of office on Monday afternoon, along with a new associate justice who will be the first Muslim on the court.
When Chief Justice Natalie Hudson is sworn in, she’ll be the third woman and first Black woman to do so since the court was established more than 150 years ago.
Minnesota’s judicial branch is streaming the Supreme Court investiture ceremony online at https://vimeo.com/event/3900247. It starts at 3 p.m. at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.
Gov. Tim Walz appointed Hudson as chief justice to replace Lorie Gildea, who retired in October. Gildea was appointed by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2010 and was reelected in 2012 and 2018. Her term was set to expire in 2025.
DFL Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Hudson to the state’s supreme court in 2015. Before that, she served 13 years as a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Prior to her bench appointments, Hudson practiced appellate law in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office for eight years and was St. Paul city attorney from 1992-1994.
Karl Procaccini. Courtesy of the Minnesota Judicial Branch)
Hudson earned her law degree from the University of Minnesota and in 1982 started her legal career at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, where she represented low-income clients with housing issues.
Also taking the oath of office is new Supreme Court Associate Justice Karl Procaccini, who is filling the newly open associate justice position left by Hudson after moving into the chief justice role.
Procaccini taught law at the University of St. Thomas Law School and served as general counsel in Walz’s office. It’s his first time serving as a judge.
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