Natalie Hudson, First Black Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, on facing adversity and creating a more accessible court system
ST. PAUL, Minn. — There's a new leader at the helm of our state's justice system.
Natalie Hudson was appointed as the next Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court, which is the only court that can change law.
Hudson's interest in law started in high school, after her cousin started law school.
"And we would talk all the time about what he was doing in law school and what he was doing, and I thought that's fascinating," she recalled. "To be able to be in a position to have a say in the law was a powerful image for me and a powerful idea to me."
Hudson moved to Minnesota from Missouri in 1968, the height of the Civil Rights era. Her father was the first Black football coach at a predominantly white institution. He coached at St. Paul's Macalester College.
"We didn't realize that at the time, it certainly wasn't on his radar, we didn't realize that," Hudson said. "It was one of those things that was just about coaching. He was just a coach and he was just thrilled to have the opportunity to coach at the collegiate level."
Her father faced adversity.
"There were times Macalester was called 'Blackalester,' those kinds of things," she said.
But he persevered.
"That's what he taught me. Get up and do what you have to do, and look for the good people who are always there," she said. "He was a powerful influence in my life."
Now, Hudson is the first Black female chief justice in Minnesota.
"It so important for kids of color to see that and covet that, and say 'now I am going to take that next step and find out what it takes to do that,'" she said.
She feels honored by the title.
"But of course also I want to be known as someone who has worked hard and has achieved what I have on my merit and those two things can go together," she added.
And now she's focused on achieving a more accessible court system - where paralegals can do more work and more people can get legal help.
"Trying to increase the public's trust and confidence in the judicial system, and I want to keep working on that piece cause the justice system is not just for people who can afford it," Hudson said.
Just like her father, Chief Hudson is on a mission, to lead.