Gov. appoints first American Indian to MN Supreme Court

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Gov. Mark Dayton named Anne McKeig to the Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday, putting the first American Indian judge on the state's highest court in a pick that also gives the seven-member bench a female majority. 

A descendant of White Earth Nation, McKeig has served as a Hennepin County District Judge since 2008, including serving as presiding judge of its family court. Tears streaming down her face, McKeig recalled watching the swearing-in ceremony of the state's first judge from White Earth in 1995, calling it an inspiration that enabled her own career trajectory. 

"It is people like him and his wife who have led the way that have allowed for others like me to dare to dream," she said of Robert Blaeser, who served nearly two decades in Hennepin County District Court. "Today is a historic day not only for myself and for my family but for all native people."

McKeig's appointment further bolsters the diversity of the Supreme Court that Dayton has dramatically altered since taking office in 2011. Of the five justices Dayton has named – including Wilhelmina Wright, who assumed a federal judgeship this year – four have been women. Two were black women, and Dayton named the state's first openly gay Supreme Court justice, Margaret Chutich, earlier this year. 

When McKeig assumes her spot on the court in September, the Supreme Court will have a female majority for the first time since the administration of former Gov. Rudy Perpich in the early 1990's. It also means Dayton has appointed a majority of the justices. 

Dayton emphasized the critical mix of diversity and judicial excellence that McKeig will bring to the court for motivating his selection. She was one of three finalists forwarded by a state judicial commission.

"I wanted someone who would be an outstanding associate justice," the Democratic governor said, noting both the importance of McKeig's background and her judicial experience. 

McKeig was appointed a district judge in 2008 by then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty. She became a family court judge in Hennepin County the following year and presiding judge in 2013. Her background also includes a lengthy stint as an assistant Hennepin County prosecutor in the child protection division, as well as expertise in the Indian Child Welfare Act.

She'll replace Associate Justice Christopher Dietzen, who announced his plans to retire in March as he the state's approaches mandatory retirement age of 70 for the Supreme Court. 

McKeig said a more diverse court is important for the state. 

"Under Gov. Dayton, more Minnesotans can look at judges and see themselves in the faces of those judges, adding to the accessibility of the court and embracing the diversity that makes Minnesota great," she said.