Talk Justice, an LSC Podcast: In Conversation with Trailblazing Minnesota Justice Anne McKeig
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Carl Rauscher
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WASHINGTON— Associate Justice Anne McKeig of the Minnesota Supreme Court joins Legal Services Corporation (LSC) President Ron Flagg on the latest episode of LSC’s “Talk Justice” podcast, released today. A descendant of the White Earth Nation, Justice McKeig is the first Native American to serve on Minnesota’s highest court, and the first Native American woman on any state’s Supreme Court.
She was first appointed to the Supreme Court of Minnesota in 2016, and was later elected to retain her seat in 2018. Previously, Justice McKeig spent eight years as a judge of the Minnesota Fourth District Court in Hennepin County. As an attorney, she worked in the Child Protection Division of Hennepin County, specializing in the Indian Child Welfare Act.
“From the day that I walked into the courtroom and was able to work on issues related to kids and their wellbeing, I knew I was in the right place,” says Justice McKeig. “Hennepin County, Minneapolis has the largest or had one of the largest, urban Indian populations in the country. So sadly, we had a very large number of cases that impacted our Native communities.”
During this time, she found a mentor in Justice Robert Blaeser. She describes her younger self as “headstrong” and “a terrible eye-roller.” Justice McKeig was not aiming to become a judge initially, and didn’t see herself in the appellate world, either. In part due to Justice Blaeser’s persistent mentorship, she became a judge—and when the Supreme Court seat opened, he knocked on her door and told her “it was time for our community to have a seat at the table.”
Justice McKeig is proud of her roots in Federal Dam, a town that had a population of 106 on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. She enjoys sharing her story with people who can relate.
“The best part of the job is hopefully finding another person like me or who grew up in like circumstances who might be inspired to do something that they didn’t feel like they could do after I visit them,” she says.
She thinks that the court suffers from its formality, explaining that it’s clear the court system was not designed for the majority of the people who have to come before it, who are intimidated by the complexities and the language.
“They also feel like those of us who are perhaps on the bench cannot identify with any of their daily struggles, and for the most part that might be absolutely true,” Justice McKeig says. “I would like us to be a little less worried about the formalities of it all.”
Talk Justice episodes are available online and on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple and other popular podcast apps. The podcast is sponsored by LSC’s Leaders Council. The next episode of the podcast will focus on civil legal responses to natural disasters.
Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. The Corporation currently provides funding to 132 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.