Star Tribune
Four things to know about Theodora Gaïtas, the newest member of the Minnesota Supreme Court
As she was ceremonially sworn in Monday as the newest member of the Minnesota Supreme Court, Theodora Gaïtas made Socrates an honorary Minnesotan.
Gaïtas, a Minnesota native and University of Minnesota graduate who grew up in Greece, told those assembled at the Minnesota Historical Center that they all had brought her to this moment. She drew on her heritage, calling it philia, the Greek word for loving friendship. In a more Minnesota vein, she said that good people make good law and that the good people of the state would continue to guide her career.
Gaïtas’ appointment capped what Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan called “an extraordinary moment of transition” for the state’s highest court, with three new justices joining in the last year.
Here’s four things to know about Gaïtas, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in April and officially started in her new role on Aug. 1.
Gaïtas spent 15 years as an appellate criminal public defender before Gov. Mark Dayton appointed her to the Hennepin County District Court bench in 2108. Gov. Tim Walz named her to the Court of Appeals in 2020.
Court of Appeals Judge Keala Ede, who has known Gaïtas for 25 years, noted that only two Minnesota Supreme Court justices before now had ever served as a public defender. He said Gaïtas will bring a perspective that has eluded the court, as nearly half of all justices have been former prosecutors.
“Her firsthand experience with the ways our criminal justice system affects individuals, their families and our communities will assist her in rendering equal justice under the law,” Ede said.
The arrival of Gaïtas and Sarah Hennesy this year returns the Supreme Court to a 4-3 female majority. Minnesota became the first state in the country with a majority of women in 1991 that included Rosalie Wahl, the state’s first female justice, who was referenced several times Monday.
After about five minutes and several warnings that students participating in the protest would be suspended,, the protesters exited Northrop and Cunningham continued her speech. They later gathered outside on the mall afterwards to shout, “Cunningham, you will see, Palestine will be free.”
Cunningham recounted the story of Norman Borlaug, the U alumnus and agronomist whose research in wheat saved millions from starvation, and said she would prioritize keeping a college education affordable for students.
Cunningham actually took over presidential duties on July 1, replacing Interim President Jeff Ettinger. She oversees a budget of more than $4 billion to run the university’s five campuses, which enrolled more than 68,000 students and employed 27,000 people during the last academic year.
She was chosen for the job last winter over two other candidates: Laura Bloomberg, president of Cleveland State University and former dean of the U’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, and James Holloway, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of New Mexico. She is the U’s second woman president, following Joan Gabel who held the office from 2019 to 2023.
Cunningham will be paid more than $1 million per year — about $975,000 in base pay and an additional $120,000 in retirement contributions. The compensation puts her in the top quarter of Big Ten university presidents.
Sgt. Gordon Blackey, once a security guard to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, allegedly admitted to tracking the woman’s movements in her vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.
Read the original article
Minnesota corrections officials are investigating after an inmate was found dead at the state prison in Moose Lake.
The 37-year-old’s cellmate found the man unresponsive in their room about 10:40 a.m. Tuesday, according to a news release Wednesday from the Corrections Department. Staffers immediately started life-saving efforts, but those efforts failed.
The department’s Office of Special Investigations is looking into the death, with help from the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office. The inmate’s identity was being withheld until notification of family.
