Three former Minnesota chief justices: Elect Natalie Hudson

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

This election season, Minnesotans have the opportunity to elect the chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court — the leader of our third branch of government. We are proud to enthusiastically support Chief Justice Natalie Hudson.

As Minnesota’s former chief justices, we know what it takes to lead the North Star State’s court of last resort, manage the Minnesota judicial branch — with a budget of nearly $900 million, nearly 3,000 employees, more than 100 courthouse facilities across all 87 counties, and 322 judges — and work to ensure equal justice for all. In the 12 months since her elevation, Chief Justice Hudson has shown that she can do this work with distinction and confidence. She brings the work ethic, integrity and compassion that Minnesotans deserve from their justice system.

Hudson also brings a wealth of experience to her role as head of the state judiciary. She has practiced as a legal aid staff attorney handling housing matters — the first chief justice to come with a legal aid background — served as the dean of student affairs at Hamline Law School and as the St. Paul city attorney, and she spent nine years as an assistant attorney general at the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office handling criminal appeals before the Court of Appeals and Minnesota Supreme Court. In 2002, then-Gov. Jesse Ventura appointed her to the Court of Appeals, where she served for 13 years. In 2015, she brought that immense experience to the Minnesota Supreme Court. And last year, she was appointed chief justice, becoming the first person of color to serve in that role — a historic moment for the judiciary and for Minnesota.

In her decades on the appellate bench, both at the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, Hudson has a well-earned reputation as a brilliant, curious and respectful judge. When a party appears before her, they will always be fully heard and their arguments will be fully considered. Having had her appear before us an advocate or later working with her as a colleague, we have seen evidence of that reputation firsthand.

And Hudson is an innovator. She has led critical improvements to the public’s ability to access the courts so that claims are resolved in a fair, prompt manner. These improvements have included establishing a framework for remote court proceedings to reduce barriers and increase access to justice across Minnesota. Hudson is the right person to continue pushing the judiciary forward and to continue improving how it serves the people of Minnesota.

A cornerstone of Minnesota’s judicial branch is its impartiality and steadfast avoidance of the partisanship that has infected some other state judiciaries. Each of us was first appointed by a Republican governor — and we unequivocally support Chief Justice Hudson, who was appointed by a DFL governor. We support her because we know that she is uniquely qualified to continue leading the Minnesota judicial branch, given her broad practice experience and her more than 20 years of service as an appellate judge. We know that she will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of all Minnesotans to ensure fairness and equity in our judicial system. We ask that you flip over your ballot and join us in voting for Chief Justice Natalie Hudson.

The writers are former chief justices of the Minnesota Supreme Court — Kathleen Blatz from 1998 to 2006, Eric Magnuson from 2008 to 2010 and Lorie Gildea from 2010 to 2023.