Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has promoted Natalie Hudson to chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. When she assumes the post this fall, Hudson will be the first Black person to lead the state’s highest court. Hudson was appointed associate justice in 2015 after serving on the Minnesota Court of Appeals for 13 years. She’ll lead the high court when the current chief justice retires in October. Walz also appointed his former general counsel, Karl Procaccini, to fill Hudson’s spot as associate justice. While only one Republican-appointed justice will then remain, Hudson’s elevation is not expected to affect the ideological balance of what’s seen as a nonpartisan court.
