Minnesota Supreme Court

Minnesota Supreme Court
Established	May 24, 1858 (1858-05-24)
Country	Minnesota, United States
Location	Minnesota Judicial Center Saint Paul, Minnesota
Composition method	Nonpartisan election, appointment by the Governor if filling midterm vacancy
Authorized by	Article VI, Minnesota Constitution
Decisions are appealed to	Supreme Court of the United States
Judge term length	6 years with mandatory retirement at the age of 70
Number of positions	7
Website	www.mncourts.gov/?page=550
Chief Justice
Currently	Lorie Skjerven Gildea
Since	July 1, 2010 (2010-07-01)

Minnesota
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The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota and consists of seven members. The court was first assembled as a three-judge panel in 1849 when Minnesota was still a territory. The first members were lawyers from outside of the region who were appointed by President Zachary Taylor. The state court system was rearranged in 1858 when Minnesota became a state, and justices are now elected to six-year terms unless a mid-term vacancy occurs, in which case the governor appoints a replacement to finish the term. Justices have a mandatory retirement age of 70. Most vacancies occur during a term and are filled by the governor. The most recent election to an open seat on the court was in 1992, when former Minnesota Vikings player Alan Page was elected.

Appeals from the Minnesota District Courts went directly to the Supreme Court until the Minnesota Court of Appeals, an intermediate appellate court, was created in 1983 to handle most of those cases. The court now considers about 900 appeals per year and the court accepts review in about 1 in eight cases. Before the Court of Appeals was created the number of cases handled by the Minnesota Supreme Court amounted to about 1800. Certain types of appeals can go directly to the Supreme Court, such as those involving taxes, first degree murder, and workers' compensation. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court's chamber of the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center.

Current composition

The current members of the Court and date they took office are:

• Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea (2006, became Chief Justice in 2010)
• Justice Alan Page (1993)
• Justice Barry Anderson (2004)
• Justice Christopher Dietzen (2008)
• Justice David Stras (2010)
• Justice Wilhelmina Wright (2012)
• Justice David Lillehaug (June 3, 2013)

Images

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  Minnesota State Capitol Supreme Court Chamber

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  The historic court chamber seen from the side

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  Justices portray predecessors on Statehood Day

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  The Minnesota Judicial Center

See also

• List of Minnesota Supreme Court Justices

External links

• Minnesota Supreme Court official website