LGN Welcomes Chief Justice Hudson and Judge Bratvold to Minneapolis Offices
Over the past few weeks, we have had the privilege of hosting two distinguished members of the MN judiciary at our Minneapolis office for a series of meet-and-greet events, Chief Justice Natalie Hudson of the MN Supreme Court and Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Diane Bratvold. We pride ourselves on fostering meaningful connections between our legal professionals and the wider judicial community. These unique gatherings offered our attorneys and staff the opportunity to engage directly with Chief Justice Hudson and Judge Bratvold, gaining insights into their perspectives on the evolving legal landscape while discussing key issues shaping today’s courts. You can learn more about each of these Judges below.
Chief Justice of the MN Supreme Court, Natalie Hudson
Chief Justice Hudson began her legal career as a staff attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services in 1982, where she represented indigent clients in housing matters. She then transitioned to practice employment law and general civil litigation in 1986.
In 1989, Chief Justice Hudson’s career shifted from litigation to academia, when she became an Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at Hamline University School of Law. She served in this role until 1992, when she became the St. Paul City Attorney.
In 1994, Chief Justice Hudson went on to practice before the state appellate courts in the Criminal Appellate Division of the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General. The diversity of her underlying experience, and depth of appellate practice prepared Chief Justice Hudson well for her appointment to the Court of Appeals in 2002, a post to which she was twice re-elected. In August, 2015, she was appointed as an associate justice on Minnesota Supreme Court, winning election in 2016 and 2022. On October 1, 2023, she was appointed Chief Justice of the State of Minnesota, becoming the first Black woman to lead the Minnesota Judicial Branch.
Learn more about Chief Justice Hudson on her website: https://justicehudson.org/
Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge, Diane Bratvold
Diane is a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals, where she has been deciding appeals for 8 years. Diane has written over 400 opinions and decided more than 1200 appeals. She practiced law for 26 years in Minnesota before becoming a judge.
The Judicial Selection Commission recommended Diane for appointment to the Fourth Judicial District (Hennepin County), where she served as a trial judge from 2014 to 2016. The Commission recommended her for appointment to the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Governor Dayton appointed her in 2016. She was the first sitting judge elected as President of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.
Minnesota voters elected Diane in 2018. She was appointed to the special redistricting panel that redrew the legislative and congressional boundaries based on the 2020 census. Both political parties praised the panel’s work as nonpartisan.
You can learn more about Judge Bratvold on her website: https://www.reelectjudgebratvold.com/
