Chief Justice delivers 2020 State of the Judiciary address
News Item
Chief Justice delivers 2020 State of the Judiciary address
Chief Justice delivers 2020 State of the Judiciary address
Posted: Thursday, June 25, 2020
Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea has delivered the annual State of the Judiciary address. The 45 minute keynote speech was delivered to more than 325 viewers on Thursday, June 25 as a part of the remote Minnesota State Bar Association annual convention. This is the first State of the Judiciary delivered remotely. The text of her speech is below. Hello, members of the Minnesota bar. Thank you all for being part of the first-ever virtual State of the Judiciary. While I’d love to be speaking with you all in person, I am grateful to the staff and leadership at the MSBA for allowing me to be part of this online event. And I so appreciate the honor of being able to provide you the State of the Judiciary on behalf of my fellow judicial officers and staff at the Minnesota Judicial Branch. Next Wednesday will mark my 10-year anniversary as Minnesota's Chief Justice. In those 10 years, I've seen a lot of things: the impact of and recovery from the Great Recession, our historic eCourt evolution, a significant expansion of treatment courts across the state, and the livestreaming of Supreme Court oral arguments, just to name a few of the many major changes and advancements in our court system. Nothing, however, could have prepared me—or any of us—for the year 2020. So we have a lot of ground to cover today. Before I get too far along in my remarks, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Tom Nelson on his term as president of the MSBA. I'm confident that Tom never imagined leading our state bar through a once-in-a-generation public health crisis and helping usher in the era of virtual conferences and other major changes. But as they say: “On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes from having navigated through it.” And Tom has been a remarkable captain for the MSBA during this storm, and we should all be thankful for his service during these challenging times. I’ll talk about how our courts have partnered with the MSBA during this pandemic in a short while. I also want to officially congratulate Dyan Ebert on her new role. Dyan has held many leadership positions in our state’s legal community, and I very much look forward to working closely with her in the year ahead. This year's State of the Judiciary address is coming at a pivotal and challenging moment in Minnesota history. There is the ongoing global pandemic, which has fundamentally changed how we deliver justice across our state and our nation. But even more pressing, over the past month, our community has been faced with a series of events that have brought to the forefront long-standing issues of racial fairness and equity. We have each witnessed the sorrow, the pain, the anger, and the incredible determination that has spread from the streets of Minneapolis to all parts across the globe. As I come before the bar today during this critical moment in history, I want you to know that the state of the judiciary in Minnesota is strong. We are resolved and resilient. We are resolved in our commitment to ensuring all Minnesotans have equal access to justice, as well as trust and confidence in their judiciary. We are resilient in the face of a global public health crisis and are continuing to work every day to deliver on our Constitutional mission. Minnesota’s first chief justice wrote about one of the promises of Minnesota—the promise that in Minnesota “no one can be denied the right to simple justice.” Our work—for both the bench and bar—is to keep that promise. These recent events, however, have made clear that too many of our fellow Minnesotans no longer believe it to be true. There is nothing more important to the state of our judiciary than sustaining the public’s trust and confidence. While I believe our courts will always stand for the cause of justice, fairness, and equality, we must not lead only with our words. We must also lead with our actions. It is crucial that all Minnesotans believe our courts will provide fair, impartial resolutions to their cases and disputes. It is even more important that we, as members of the bench and bar, work as hard as we can, every day, to earn that trust. To ensure public trust and confidence Minnesotans must see their cases and disputes decided by the rule of law. The rule of law is fundamental to our society, to our democracy, and to preserving the rights and freedoms of every Minnesotan. More than 300 years ago, John Locke warned us that “where law ends, tyranny begins.” And, for centuries, it has been our profession’s shared purpose to safeguard the rule of law in our society. As Minnesota navigates this tumultuous and painful moment, we must not lose sight of either of these values: All Minnesotans deserve fair and equal access to justice. And, all Minnesotans depend on the rule of law for their safety, livelihoods, and liberty. In recent weeks, I have spoken with the chairs of our statewide Committee for Equality and Justice. We discussed how that statewide committee can continue to play a critical role in facilitating ongoing discussions and work related to fairness and equity in our justice system. The Committee for Equality and Justice—or CEJ—is the perfect forum for this work. Its membership is reflective of the state's geographic and demographic diversity and includes representation from judges, court staff, justice system partners, and the public we serve. As part of the CEJ’s current strategic plan, the committee is exploring several important issues, such as:- How our courts can ensure that those who are called for jury service, selected for jury panels, and seated on the juries accurately reflect the diversity of our community;
- What steps our courts should take in response to the latest Probation Revocations Report from the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, which found, among other things, that American Indian men and women had far higher probation revocation rates than other racial or ethnic groups; and
- How our judges and courts across the state can expand our community outreach, and put into action the lessons we learn from the various community listening sessions we routinely hold across the state.
- what implicit or unconscious bias is and how it impacts their duties as a juror, and
- what steps jurors can take to address and manage their own implicit or unconscious bias.
- Social distancing;
- Face coverings;
- Cleaning and disinfecting; and
- The layout and configurations of courtrooms and common spaces.
- to provide advice to, and appear in court on behalf of, tenants in landlord-tenant disputes, but only in courts that have dedicated housing court calendars; and
- to provide advice to, and appear in court or at mediations on behalf of, clients in family law disputes involving issues of child-support modifications, parenting-time issues, paternity matters, and other specific topics.