Gov. Walz appoints Theodora Gaitas and Sarah Hennesy to the MN Supreme Court

Pioneer Press
Updated ·3 min read
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Gov. Tim Walz on Monday announced the appointments of Theodora Gaïtas and Sarah Hennesy as associate justices on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Gaïtas will replace Margaret H. Chutich and Hennesy will replace G. Barry Anderson. Both Chutich and Anderson are retiring, it was announced this January.

With the appointments of Gaïtas and Hennesy, Minnesota’s highest court will have its first female majority in 30 years when the new justices join the bench. It also means the court will be completely made up of justices appointed by Democratic-Farmer-Labor governors.

At a Monday Capitol event announcing the new appointments, Hennesy said anyone with questions about partisan leanings should look at her record as a judge.

“I’m sworn to uphold the Constitution, and when I find myself in gray areas, I’m very careful to check myself for any biases, and that includes biases that might be political,” she told reporters.

Hennesy is the chief judge of the Seventh Judicial District and is chambered in St. Cloud. She previously practiced law in both appellate and trial courts as an appellate public defender in Iowa, as a criminal defense attorney in Washington, D.C. and Virginia, and as a staff attorney at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid in St. Cloud.

Selected from list of six finalists

The governor selected his appointments from a list of six finalists recommended by the nonpartisan Commission on Judicial Selection.

Minnesota’s judicial system is nonpartisan and the governor takes recommendations for judicial appointments from a group of legal professionals appointed by the governor and state Supreme Court.

Walz on Monday shared his first impressions of Hennesy.

“I was just left with the feeling of both an incredibly brilliant legal mind, but at the same time, an incredibly authentic and grounded person that you could feel a sense of compassion, feel sense of empathy,” he said.

Gaïtas is currently a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She previously served as a judge in the Fourth Judicial District, where she presided over a felony caseload in the criminal division and as co-chair of the Domestic Violence Steering Committee. She also worked as an appellate public defender.

“I am honored to appoint Judge Gaïtas to the Minnesota Supreme Court,” said Walz in a statement earlier on Monday. “She is a remarkable jurist who has served at all levels of our judiciary. Her understanding of the complexities of our judicial system will make her an excellent addition to the Minnesota Supreme Court.”

Public defender backgrounds

Walz’s two appointees bring a background representing clients unable to pay for an attorney from their experience as appellate public defenders.

“As a judge having that perspective, you remember when people appear before you what it looks like to an individual from an indigent background, and navigating the legal system,” said Gaïtas. “I think it brings a sense of kindness and compassion to your decision-making.”

Gaïtas and Hennesy are the third and fourth members Walz will appoint to the Supreme Court. Walz, a Democrat, has been governor since 2019 and started his second four-year term last year.

Last year, Walz appointed Karl Procaccini to an associate justice position after Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, a 2006 Pawlenty appointee, announced her retirement. Walz named Natalie Hudson, a 2015 Dayton appointee, the new chief justice after Gildea’s departure.

Walz also appointed Associate Justice Gordon Moore in 2020. Moore succeeded Associate Justice David Lillehaug, a Dayton appointee.

Associate Justices Anne McKeig and Paul Thissen also are Dayton appointees.

Minnesota Supreme Court justices are typically appointed by the governor when there’s a vacancy on the court, though they do face election and serve six-year terms.

For more information about the judicial selection process, visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage at mn.gov/governor/appointments/judicialappointments/.

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