Minnesota Supreme Court

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Minnesota Supreme Court
State-Supreme-Courts-Ballotpedia-template.png
Court Information
Justices: 7
Founded: 1858
Location: Saint Paul
Salary
Associates: $214,935[1]
Judicial Selection
Method: Nonpartisan election
Term: 6 years
Active justices
Theodora Gaïtas, Sarah E. Hennesy, Natalie E. Hudson, Anne K. McKeig, Gordon Moore, Karl Procaccini, Paul Thissen

Founded in 1858, the Minnesota Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Natalie Hudson.

As of May 2024, all seven judges on the court were appointed by a Democratic governor.

The court meets in the Minnesota Judicial Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.[2]

In Minnesota, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.

Jurisdiction

The state supreme court hears appeals from the Minnesota Court of Appeals, Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals, Minnesota Tax Court, Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board and Board of Judicial Standards. The court also takes direct appeals for first degree murder and election contest appeals. Additionally, the supreme court has jurisdiction over the administration of the state's judicial system.[3]

The chief justice is the administrative head of the judicial branch and supervises the work of all courts and the Minnesota judicial council. The state court administrator is appointed by the chief justice and the judicial council. The following positions are also appointed by the court: supreme court commissioner, clerk of the appellate courts, and state law librarian.[4]

The court oversees regulation of the practice of law and it resolves petitions filed by the lawyers for professional responsibility board. It also oversees judicial and lawyer discipline. Finally, the court creates rules and procedures for all courts in the state.[5][6]

Justices

The table below lists the current judges of the Minnesota Supreme Court, their political party, and when they assumed office.


Office Name Party Date assumed office
Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson Nonpartisan October 2, 2023
Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 1 Sarah E. Hennesy Nonpartisan May 13, 2024
Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 2 Theodora Gaïtas Nonpartisan August 1, 2024
Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 3 Gordon Moore Nonpartisan August 3, 2020
Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 4 Paul Thissen Nonpartisan 2018
Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 5 Anne K. McKeig Nonpartisan September 15, 2016
Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 6 Karl Procaccini Nonpartisan October 2, 2023


Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Minnesota

The seven judges of the Minnesota Supreme Court are chosen in nonpartisan general elections to six-year terms. Sitting judges must run for re-election if they wish to serve additional terms. While party affiliation is not designated on the ballot, incumbency is.[7]

Qualifications

Judges of the supreme court are required to be "learned in the law" and under 70 years old. Sitting judges who reach the age of 70 while in office are allowed to serve until the last day of that month.[7]

Chief justice

The chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court is directly chosen by voters in a nonpartisan election. He or she serves in that capacity for a full six-year term.[7]

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

Interim vacancies on the supreme court are filled via gubernatorial appointment. After serving for at least one year, the appointed judge can run for a full term in the next general election.[7] Other candidates may file to run against them in the election.[8]

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.

Seat 5: McKeig's seat

General election

General election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 5

Incumbent Anne K. McKeig won election in the general election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 5 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Anne K. McKeig
Anne K. McKeig (Nonpartisan)
 
98.7
 
1,888,265
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.3
 
24,218

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source

Total votes: 1,912,483
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Anne K. McKeig advanced from the primary for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 5.

Seat 6: Procaccini's seat

General election

General election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 6

Incumbent Karl Procaccini defeated Matthew Hanson in the general election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 6 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Karl Procaccini
Karl Procaccini (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
56.6
 
1,321,670
Image of Matthew Hanson
Matthew Hanson (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
43.0
 
1,003,483
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.4
 
8,979

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. Source 1 Source 2

Total votes: 2,334,132
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Karl Procaccini and Matthew Hanson advanced from the primary for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 6.


2022

See also: Minnesota Supreme Court elections, 2022

The terms of two Minnesota Supreme Court justices expired on January 2, 2023. The two seats were up for nonpartisan election on November 8, 2022.

Candidates and results

Seat 3: Moore's seat

General election

General election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 3

Incumbent Gordon Moore won election in the general election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 3 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Gordon Moore
Gordon Moore (Nonpartisan)
 
99.0
 
1,382,896
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.0
 
13,872

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,396,768
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Gordon Moore advanced from the primary for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 3.

Seat 6: Hudson's seat

General election

General election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 6

Incumbent Natalie E. Hudson won election in the general election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 6 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Natalie E. Hudson
Natalie E. Hudson (Nonpartisan)
 
99.1
 
1,372,369
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.9
 
12,723

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,385,092
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Natalie E. Hudson advanced from the primary for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 6.


2020

See also: Minnesota Supreme Court elections, 2020

The term of one Minnesota Supreme Court justice expired on January 4, 2021. The seat was up for nonpartisan election on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for August 11, 2020.[9]

Candidates and results

Thissen's seat

General election

General election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 4

Incumbent Paul Thissen defeated Michelle L. MacDonald in the general election for Minnesota Supreme Court Seat 4 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Paul Thissen
Paul Thissen (Nonpartisan)
 
59.0
 
1,477,672
Image of Michelle L. MacDonald
Michelle L. MacDonald (Nonpartisan)
 
40.6
 
1,016,245
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
8,559

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,502,476
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.


2018

See also: Minnesota Supreme Court elections, 2018

The terms of four Minnesota Supreme Court justices expired in 2019. Those justices stood for nonpartisan election by voters in 2018 in order to remain on the bench. The general election took place on November 6, 2018.

Candidates and results

Chief Justice: Gildea's seat

General election candidates

Seat 1: Anderson's seat

General election candidates

Seat 2: Chutich's seat

General election candidates

Candidate Connection = candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

Seat 5: McKeig's seat

General election candidates

2016

General election candidates

Seat 6

■ Natalie Hudson Green check mark transparent.png (Incumbent)
■ Michelle L. MacDonald

Election results

November 8 general election

Incumbent Natalie Hudson defeated Michelle L. MacDonald in the general election for Seat 6 on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Minnesota Supreme Court, Seat 6, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Natalie Hudson Incumbent 58.81% 1,266,827
Michelle L. MacDonald 40.77% 878,270
Write-in votes 0.42% 8,945
Total Votes (4073 of 4120 precincts reporting: 99%) 2,154,042
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State

August 9 primary election

Incumbent Justice Natalie Hudson and challenger Michelle L. MacDonald were the top two finishers and advanced to the November 8 general election.

Minnesota Supreme Court Primary, Seat 6, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Natalie Hudson Incumbent 64.96% 173,884
Green check mark transparent.png Michelle L. MacDonald 20.49% 54,853
Craig Foss 14.55% 38,960
Total Votes (4110 of 4120 Precincts Reporting) 267,697
Source: Minnesota Secretary of State Official Results

Caseloads

The table below details the number of cases filed with the court and the number of dispositions (decisions) the court reached in each year.[10][11]

Minnesota Supreme Court caseload data
Year Filings Dispositions
2023 83 142
2022 100 127
2021 88 124
2020 95 148
2019 95 157
2018 112 146
2017 108 109
2016 117 131
2015 143 136
2014 115 99
2013 107 142
2012 135 104
2011 122 95
2010 98 114
2009 111 127
2008 148 126
2007 132 126

Analysis

Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters (2021)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters

Ballotpedia Courts Determiners and Dissenters navigation ad.png In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters, a study on how state supreme court justices decided the cases that came before them. Our goal was to determine which justices ruled together most often, which frequently dissented, and which courts featured the most unanimous or contentious decisions.

The study tracked the position taken by each state supreme court justice in every case they decided in 2020, then tallied the number of times the justices on the court ruled together. We identified the following types of justices:

  • We considered two justices opinion partners if they frequently concurred or dissented together throughout the year.
  • We considered justices a dissenting minority if they frequently opposed decisions together as a -1 minority.
  • We considered a group of justices a determining majority if they frequently determined cases by a +1 majority throughout the year.
  • We considered a justice a lone dissenter if he or she frequently dissented alone in cases throughout the year.

Summary of cases decided in 2020

  • Number of justices: 7
  • Number of cases: 106
  • Percentage of cases with a unanimous ruling: 74.5%% (79)
  • Justice most often writing the majority opinion: Justice McKeig (78)
  • Per curiam decisions: 13
  • Concurring opinions: 8
  • Justice with most concurring opinions: Justice Thissen (4)
  • Dissenting opinions: 16
  • Justice with most dissenting opinions: Justice Gildea and Anderson (5)

For the study's full set of findings in Minnesota, click here.

Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship

Ballotpedia Courts State Partisanship navigation ad.png Last updated: June 15, 2020

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.

The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation, based on a variety of factors. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on the political or ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. To arrive at confidence scores we analyzed each justice's past partisan activity by collecting data on campaign finance, past political positions, party registration history, as well as other factors. The five categories of Confidence Scores were:

  • Strong Democrat
  • Mild Democrat
  • Indeterminate[12]
  • Mild Republican
  • Strong Republican

We used the Confidence Scores of each justice to develop a Court Balance Score, which attempted to show the balance among justices with Democratic, Republican, and Indeterminate Confidence Scores on a court. Courts with higher positive Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Republican Confidence Scores, while courts with lower negative Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Democratic Confidence Scores. Courts closest to zero either had justices with conflicting partisanship or justices with Indeterminate Confidence Scores.[13]

Minnesota had a Court Balance Score of -3.57, indicating Democratic control of the court. In total, the study found that there were 15 states with Democrat-controlled courts, 27 states with Republican-controlled courts, and eight states with Split courts. The map below shows the court balance score of each state.

SSC by state.png


Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores (2012)

See also: Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores of state supreme court justices, 2012

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns." A score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court of Minnesota was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Minnesota received a score of -0.07. Based on the justices selected, Minnesota was the 22nd most liberal court. The study was based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges, or—in the absence of elections—the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice but rather an academic gauge of various factors.[14]

Justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court

Noteworthy cases

The following are noteworthy cases heard before the Minnesota Supreme Court. For a full list of opinions published by the court, click here. Know of a case we should cover here? Let us know by emailing us.

Ethics

Judicial conduct

The Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Minnesota. It is composed of four canons:

  • Canon 1: "A Judge Shall Uphold and Promote the Independence, Integrity, and Impartiality of the Judiciary, and Shall Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety"
  • Canon 2: "A Judge Shall Perform the Duties of Judicial Office Impartially, Competently, and Diligently"
  • Canon 3: "A Judge Shall Conduct the Judge's Personal and Extrajudicial Activities to Minimize the Risk of Conflict with the Obligations of Judicial Office"
  • Canon 4: "A Judge or Candidate for Judicial Office Shall Not Engage in Political or Campaign Activity that is Inconsistent with the Independence, Integrity, or Impartiality of the Judiciary"[17]

The full text of the Minnesota Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of justices

Judges in Minnesota may be removed in one of three ways:

  • By the supreme court, after a public hearing and on the recommendation of the board on judicial standards
  • Impeached by a majority vote of the house of representatives and convicted by a two-thirds vote of the senate
  • By recall via a popular vote[18]

History of the court

Interior of the Minnesota Supreme Court courtroom

Minnesota was part of the Northwest Territory from 1787-1800. Afterward, parts of Minnesota were in the Indiana Territory, Illinois Territory, Michigan Territory, Wisconsin Territory, and Iowa Territory before becoming the Minnesota Territory in 1849. The Minnesota territorial supreme court was established by the 1849 Organic Act, which also created district courts, probate courts, and justices of the peace. The first three justices were appointed by President Zachary Taylor (U.S. president). The justices, who were all from the east coast, oversaw trials in a district court within a territory and then convened to review decisions of those district courts, thus reviewing their own decisions. The territorial supreme court had no courthouse, so they met where there was meeting space available, including first in a hotel called the American House, and also in churches, stores, and other locations in St. Paul.[19][20][21]

The 1858 statehood Minnesota Constitution, still in use today, provids for a supreme court, district courts, probate courts, and justice courts. Other courts could be formed with legislative enactment. The justices would be elected to serve seven-year terms and must be "men learned in the law."[22] The sole purpose of the court was to decide appeals.[23] In 1881 a fourth justice was added to the court due to the increased number of cases the court was hearing. The justice's terms were also reduced to six years, where they remain today. The 1930 constitutional amendment Minnesota Replace Court Commissioners, Amendment 1 (1930) increased the number of justices by two, bringing the total to six.

The 1972 Minnesota Reorganize State Judicial System, Amendment 2 (1972) constitutional amendment again modified the number of justices, providing that there could be 6-9 justices. The same 1972 amendment also authorized the discipline and removal of judges. In 1982 the Minnesota Create Court of Appeals, Amendment 1 (1982) took effect, creating a court of appeals and stipulating that there is to be seven supreme court justices, where the number remains today. The court of appeals reviews appeals of final decisions from district courts, state agencies, and local government.[24]

Noteworthy firsts

  • 1977: Rosalie Wahl became the first female justice to serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court.[25]
  • 1992: The first African-American justice to serve on the supreme court, Alan Page, was elected in 1992, and took office in January 1993.[26]
  • 2012: Wilhelmina M. Wright became the first African-American female on the court following her appointment by Governor Mark Dayton on August 20, 2012.[27]

Courts in Minnesota

See also: Courts in Minnesota

In Minnesota, there is a single federal district court, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Minnesota's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Minnesota's state court system.

Party control of Minnesota state government

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. A state supreme court plays a role in the checks and balances system of a state government.

Minnesota has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and the upper chamber of the state legislature, while the Republican Party controls the lower chamber of the state legislature.

State profile

Demographic data for Minnesota
 MinnesotaU.S.
Total population:5,482,435316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):79,6273,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:84.8%73.6%
Black/African American:5.5%12.6%
Asian:4.4%5.1%
Native American:1%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:2.7%3%
Hispanic/Latino:5%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:92.4%86.7%
College graduation rate:33.7%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$61,492$53,889
Persons below poverty level:12.2%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Minnesota.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Minnesota

Minnesota voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.


More Minnesota coverage on Ballotpedia

See also

Minnesota Judicial Selection More Courts
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Courts in Minnesota
Minnesota Court of Appeals
Minnesota Supreme Court
Elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017
Gubernatorial appointments
Judicial selection in Minnesota
Federal courts
State courts
Local courts

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The salary of the chief justice may be higher than an associate justice.
  2. ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed September 4, 2021
  3. ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Overview: Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed October 8, 2015
  4. ↑ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State,"State Judiciary," accessed June 19, 2024
  5. ↑ Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State,"State Judiciary," accessed June 19, 2024
  6. ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch,"Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed June 19, 2024
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed September 4, 2021
  8. ↑ The Office of the Revisor of Statutes, "Constitution of the State of Minnesota," accessed August 8, 2016
  9. ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Elections Calendar," accessed July 26, 2019
  10. ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Annual Report 2021," accessed October 5, 2022
  11. ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch, "Annual Report 2023," accessed September 24, 2024
  12. ↑ An Indeterminate score indicates that there is either not enough information about the justice’s partisan affiliations or that our research found conflicting partisan affiliations.
  13. ↑ The Court Balance Score is calculated by finding the average partisan Confidence Score of all justices on a state supreme court. For example, if a state has justices on the state supreme court with Confidence Scores of 4, -2, 2, 14, -2, 3, and 4, the Court Balance is the average of those scores: 3.3. Therefore, the Confidence Score on the court is Mild Republican. The use of positive and negative numbers in presenting both Confidence Scores and Court Balance Scores should not be understood to that either a Republican or Democratic score is positive or negative. The numerical values represent their distance from zero, not whether one score is better or worse than another.
  14. ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
  15. ↑ MPR News, "Minn. Supreme Court limits property seizures," August 21, 2014
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Star Tribune, "Minnesota Supreme Court rulings curb search and seizure authority," August 20, 2014
  17. ↑ The Office of the Revisor of Statutes, Minnesota Courts Rules: Code of Judicial Conduct, adopted July 1, 2009, accessed July 11, 2015
  18. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Minnesota, Removal of Judges," accessed July 11, 2015
  19. ↑ Minnesota State Law Library,"History of the Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed June 19, 2024
  20. ↑ Minnesota Judicial Branch',"Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed June 19, 2024
  21. ↑ Minnesota State Law Library,"History of the Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed June 19, 2024
  22. ↑ Minnesota Legislature,"Constitution of the State of Minnesota," accessed June 19, 2024
  23. ↑ Minnesota State Law Library,"The Law, Courts, and Lawyers in the Frontier Days of Minnesota: An Informal Legal History of the Years 1835 to 1865," accessed June 19, 2024
  24. ↑ Minnesota State Law Library,"History of the Minnesota Supreme Court," accessed June 19, 2024
  25. ↑ Twin Cities, "Rosalie Wahl, first woman on Minnesota Supreme Court, dies," July 22, 2013
  26. ↑ University of Mount Union, "Alan Page," accessed December 18, 2014
  27. ↑ The Uptake, "First African American Woman On MN Supreme Court," August 20, 2012

Minnesota courts

Federal courts:

Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Minnesota • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Minnesota

State courts:

Minnesota Supreme Court • Minnesota Court of Appeals • Minnesota District Courts • Minnesota Problem-Solving Courts • Minnesota Tax Court • Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals

State resources:

Courts in Minnesota • Minnesota judicial elections • Judicial selection in Minnesota


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