Justice Natalie Hudson recently made history as she became the first Black woman to become chief justice of the state Supreme Court in Minnesota.
On Monday afternoon, Hudson took the oath of office, officially becoming the third woman and first BIPOC justice to take on the role in the court’s 150 year history.
Her promotion to Chief Justice comes three months after it was first announced by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and one month after she was appointed to the role.
A graduate of Arizona State University and the University of Minnesota Law School, Hudson has worked with the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General before she was promoted to the Court of Appeals by then Gov. Jesse Ventura.
She joined the Supreme Court in 2015 as an associate justice after being appointed by then-Gov. Mark Dayton.
In the ceremony for her newest position, Hudson emphasized the responsibility of the role of Chief Justice.
“With the weight of history as our backdrop, I do not take this honor lightly,” said Hudson at her swearing-in, per CBS News. “And I’m eager to work with each and every one of you as we uphold the cause of justice in our beloved state.”
Although improvements have been made, disparities in the appointments of state supreme courts have long been criticized.
In a 2022 report by the Brennan Center for Justice, the non-profit organization found that in 20 states, including states in which there are large BIPOC communities, there are no justices that are Black, Latino or Asian American. Approximately 28 states had no Black justices serving in the high court, specifically.
In general, across all states, only 18% of justices were from BIPOC communities.
Amongst the highest court, the U.S. nation’s Supreme Court, the disparities persist; only three Black justices have been appointed federal justices in the Supreme Court starting from Justice Thurgood Marshall’s appointment by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1967.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson most recently made history as the first Black woman to join the nation’s top judicial body.
Sworn in last year after being appointed by President Biden following the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer, Justice Jackson previously served in the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
With her latest appointment, Justice Hudson acknowledged the barriers she’s also broken.
“The fact that I am the first person of color, the first Black person to be the chief justice of the state of Minnesota is of course not lost on me,” said Hudson upon her appointment in August per CBS News. “And I’m deeply humbled and honored by this recognition.”
