ST PAUL, Minn. — After more than a decade leading Minnesota's Judicial Branch, Chief Justice Lorie Gildea has announced plans to step down this fall.
“Serving as Minnesota’s Chief Justice has been the honor of a lifetime, and I am deeply grateful to the people of Minnesota for giving me this opportunity,” Chief Justice Gildea said in a statement Thursday.
Gildea was first appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2006, and later appointed as Chief Justice in 2010. She is the second woman to serve as Chief Justice and the third longest-serving judge in the role.
“Although my decision to step down has not been an easy one, I believe this is the right moment for a transition in leadership of the Minnesota Judicial Branch,” Chief Justice Gildea said in her statement. “Our courts have largely recovered from the impacts of the pandemic, we secured important investments for our justice system in the recently completed Legislative Session, our judiciary is on solid fiscal footing, and the Minnesota Judicial Council has adopted an innovative Strategic Plan that will guide the work of our courts in the next biennium. This is a moment of stability and opportunity for our state’s judiciary and a good time to hand the reins to a new Chief Justice.”
During her tenure, Chief Justice Gildea brought increased transparency to the Minnesota Judicial Branch, including launching an online court record portal and expanding audio/visual coverage of certain court proceedings, including live-streaming Minnesota Supreme Court oral arguments.
In a statement, Gov. Tim Walz thanked Chief Justice Gildea for her service to Minnesota.
"She has been a strong defender of the judicial branch. I have seen firsthand the balance and thoughtfulness she brings to her work each and every day – whether it’s improving and modernizing the judicial branch or serving on the Board of Pardons," Walz said.
A Minnesota native, Chief Justice Gildea previously served as an assistant Hennepin County Attorney and Hennepin County District Court Judge. Her last day as Chief Justice will be Oct. 1.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
