Minnesota Supreme Court 2024 Megathread: The most interesting statewide election

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Typically judicial elections in Minnesota are just nominal "electoral-type event" affairs, thanks to pretty strict laws that restrict what candidates can run on and that any challengers have to basically suspend their legal private practice while running, thus no one wants to. For example there was just one judge challenged in 2022, every other one ran unopposed. And no incumbent Minnesota Supreme Court justice has been defeated since the 30s. They're just dull around affairs.

That's probably going to change in 2024 and is actually going to be far more fought after than Klobuchar's boring landslide or the Presidential election that'll be decided elsewhere.

Let me explain: Right now the MNSC has a 5-2 liberal majority, with one of the conservatives (the Chief Justice actually) being probably along the lines of Lisa Murkowski in ideology. The only staunch conservative on it is Barry Anderson, who is also the oldest justice. Now Minnesota requires judges to retire at age 70 (technically just the month they turn age 70, so really the last day of the month of their birthday.) And Anderson turns 70 in October 2024...right before the election. He is thus ineligible to run again.

Theoretically Anderson could retire before then. But if he did that would mean that Walz would get to appoint his successor who would thus win easily if even challenged in November. Which he wouldn't want. Walz gets to appoint his successor in October anyway, but at that point the primary determining the candidates in November would already occur and even if Walz's appointment is one of them, they wouldn't be designated as an incumbent on the ballot. That would only occur if the appointment occurs before the primary filing deadline and Anderson has no incentive to retire before then.

Therefore it's a safe bet there will be an actual competitive election. Competitive judicial elections in Minnesota aren't unheard of although they almost always happen with an incumbent judge choosing to stand down next election instead of retiring, and that happens like 1% of the time, but with the sheer number of judges does mean you get such a race somewhere in the state like every two elections or so. Alan Page, elected in 1992, was the last justice directly elected to the MNSC without being appointed. However unless Anderson is willing to do Walz and the liberal wing a favor, his seat is going to be the next one filled that way, and with the current polarized environment it's tough to see it not being a contested election even if nonpartisan.

I have no doubt that Walz will get a nominee ready who'll file before October, get DFL backing (unofficially as political parties are technically forbidden from endorsing judicial candidates, but it'll be made obvious), and then make the runoff for November, while conservatives rally around an opponent. And it might result in an interesting election and maps. Then Walz likely appoints said candidate in October, but unless they win the November general election they'll effectively just be a seat warmer for a few months.

So any news or developments in regards to this will be posted here.

[Minnesota Mike]

The other Republican, Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, is stepping down this October.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-supreme-court-chief-justice-lorie-gildea-stepping-down/600282933/?refresh=true

Walz will appoint her replacement and that person will be a heavy favorite to win a full term next year as mentioned above. Could have a 7-0 Dem court after the 2024 elections.

[Nyvin]

Gildea is the justice that appointed the commission that drew R favored maps during redistricting.   The commission only had 1 D member out of 5.

[Minnesota Mike]

Gildea is the justice that appointed the commission that drew R favored maps during redistricting.   The commission only had 1 D member out of 5.

Not true. 2 judges were appointed by Dayton, 2 by T-Paw, and 1 by Ventura. IMHO they drew pretty fair maps, the geography of Minnesota just favors Republicans slightly. A lot of Democrats packed in 80%+ areas of Minneapolis and St Paul.

FWIW I viewed Gildea as a pretty good judge, not overly partisan.

[Nyvin]

Gildea is the justice that appointed the commission that drew R favored maps during redistricting.   The commission only had 1 D member out of 5.

Not true. 2 judges were appointed by Dayton, 2 by T-Paw, and 1 by Ventura. IMHO they drew pretty fair maps, the geography of Minnesota just favors Republicans slightly. A lot of Democrats packed in 80%+ areas of Minneapolis and St Paul.

FWIW I viewed Gildea as a pretty good judge, not overly partisan.

I thought Wilhelmina Wright was appointed by Ventura, but I guess your right she was put on the "Supreme" court by Dayton.   

[ProgressiveModerate]

Gildea is the justice that appointed the commission that drew R favored maps during redistricting.   The commission only had 1 D member out of 5.

Not true. 2 judges were appointed by Dayton, 2 by T-Paw, and 1 by Ventura. IMHO they drew pretty fair maps, the geography of Minnesota just favors Republicans slightly. A lot of Democrats packed in 80%+ areas of Minneapolis and St Paul.

FWIW I viewed Gildea as a pretty good judge, not overly partisan.

Yea MN's map is fine. One thing that's kind of funny is literally every district except rural MN-07 got bluer on the new map because of MSP's growth. The map was basically a least change of last decades map which was also court drawn and widely considered to be fair.

[Minnesota Mike]

Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Natalie Hudson will be the new chief justice, Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday, making her the first person of color to lead the state judiciary.....

......To fill the vacancy created by Hudson's elevation, Walz announced the appointment of his former general counsel, Karl Procaccini, to the seven-member court. Procaccini, 40, has not served as a judge and left Walz's office in June.......

....Procaccini is married to Dr. Nayla Hamdi, a psychologist in the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. He converted to Islam when he married his wife and is the first Muslim on the high court....

....The appointments do not require confirmation. Both will be on the ballot in November 2024.

https://www.startribune.com/justice-natalie-hudson-will-be-first-black-chief-of-minnesota-supreme-court/600299077/

[Minnesota Mike]

And the last Republican appointee has resigned from the court.

https://www.startribune.com/last-republican-minnesota-supreme-court-appointee-announces-retirement/600334286/?refresh=true

The last Republican appointee among the seven justices on Minnesota's Supreme Court will retire in May after 20 years on the job.

Justice G. Barry Anderson notified Gov. Tim Walz of his decision Thursday, hours after hearing oral arguments on an election case. The retirement was not unexpected because Anderson hits the mandatory retirement age for judges in October.

.....

Secretary of State Steve Simon said Anderson's successor will first be on the ballot in 2026.