Justice Margaret Chutich retiring from Minnesota Supreme Court
The Minnesota Supreme Court’s first member of the LGBTQ+ community to serve on the high court has announced her retirement after more than a decade on the bench.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Supreme Court’s first member of the LGBTQ+ community to serve on the high court has announced her retirement after more than a decade on the bench.
Appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to the Minnesota Court of Appeals in 2012, and then to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2016, before she was elected in 2018. Her last day on the Supreme Court will be July 31, 2024.
"I have loved serving the people of Minnesota… for almost eight years," Chutich wrote in a retirement letter to Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday, Jan. 16. "Representation is important so that when students see someone like them having success, they will have confidence they can set high goals as well. Having someone like me on the bench also tells LGBTQ+ lawyers they belong in the courtroom and helps those in the community know that someone on the bench has life experiences that may enrich the understanding of the court, especially about the facts involved in a particular case. All manner of diversity in decision makers is key to creating a fair system of justice."
Chutich is the second Supreme Court justice to announce a retirement in the past week. Justice Barry Anderson, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2004, announced last week that he would retire on May 10.
"I’m looking forward to having more time to be a better family member and friend," Chutich said of her future plans in a statement. "I love to write and I love interacting with young lawyers, so we’ll just see what comes down the pike in the future."