BEMIDJI, Minn.-On Sept. 15, Anne McKeig was sworn in as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and became the first Native American woman to serve on the state's highest court. McKeig, from Federal Dam, Minn., has many connections to the Bemidji area; her mother, Cecelia Wattles McKeig lives in Federal Dam, and her grandmother, Ann Wattles, lives in Bemidji.

Before being appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court, McKeig worked as an assistant Hennepin County attorney in the Child Protection Division, specializing in child welfare cases regarding Native American children. McKeig, a descendant of the White Earth Ojibwe, then went on to serve as a judge in the state's Fourth Judicial District.

On Friday, McKeig, along with the Minnesota Supreme Court's Chief Justice Lorie Gildea and fellow Associate Justice David Lillehaug, answered questions for Forum News Service

What does McKeig's appointment mean for the court?

McKeig: I think that it sent a really strong message of the importance of bridging the tribal nations and the state judicial system. I think the state's been committed to that for a very long time, but I think this kind of solidifies or cements that as it will, feeling like they have now representation on the highest court in the state of Minnesota and so I just think it's helping build that mutual respect, mutual goals, of wanting to do a good job for all citizens of the state of Minnesota, which include our tribal nations.

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Lillehaug: For me it means that we have additional diversity and background and experience on the court. And because we're a collaborative court, all seven of us decide everything, it means that we're going to have even more experience and background in making our decisions, and I welcome that.

What are your personal goals, and what are the court's goals going forward?

McKeig: I don't know that I've really thought about goals other than being accessible. I think the court has always been accessible. You know, I think the chief (justice) has made the tribal state court liaison work and that committee work important and that's been recognized...When you come from the Indian community that's a voice that's different and can offer another perspective.

Gildea: We are the Minnesota Supreme Court and we depend for our vitality on the trust and confidence that the people of Minnesota have in us. And that's our obligation, is to make sure that every person in the five-plus million Minnesotans feel like it's their court because courts don't exist for judges and lawyers. Courts exist for the people.

Lillehaug: Certainly one of our goals for the court is to remain collegial and professional and decide cases based on the law. We are a unanimous court on about 75 percent of our decisions so that's been working pretty well so far.

Gildea: I would say that the Minnesota Supreme Court is one of the glories of our state because we are so committed to this principle of collaborative, collegial decision making. The cases that our court hears are tremendously difficult cases, that's why they're at the Minnesota Supreme Court, and to struggle together with six other people, it's a real art form to be able to do that in a full-throated, muscular way but in a respectful way. We have wonderful disagreements on the court but we work really hard never to become disagreeable, and it's something that we are all committed to, we're all in for that principle of collegiality and we're really blessed in Minnesota, I think, because we've been successful at maintaining that collegiality. You can look around the country and it's not that way everywhere. So it's very, very important to all of us that we maintain that.

What challenges have you faced as a judge, and in your career as a whole?

McKeig: I was in the county attorney's office, and that certainly had its challenges because sometimes the goals or the job of the county attorney was not seen as friendly towards the Native community, and so there was a lot of work that had to be done and sometimes that came out sideways for me personally, but I think staying the course and staying the commitment of collaboration helped resolve those issues. And I think it's important that you have representation on all sides of the system, on the judiciary, in the county attorney's office, in the public defender's office, in private, so that it's like a piece of the puzzle. And I think it's what makes the system do its very best work.

What's been the best part so far of being on the court, or of having a new member?

McKeig: I have learned a ton in the first two weeks that I have been there. My colleagues are incredibly bright and wise on a vast array of issues, and they have been kind and sharing and patient and so it has been a really nice transition. One that I was afraid of, to be honest, and they've made it less scary.

Gildea: It's exciting to have a new member....it's a great opportunity for us to think about why we do things and to have conversations again about, well, why is it this way and not that way? But it is challenging to have all that change in such a compressed period of time, so I'm looking forward to some stability.

Lillehaug: I'm confident that notwithstanding three new members in one year, that the culture and the traditions remain the same, which is deciding each case based on the law.

What are you looking forward to?

McKeig: And I'm just looking forward to learning new areas of the law, but also hopefully being able to add something to the court in regards to my history as it relates to children who are in need of protection or services, because that's a huge issue statewide. And that certainly has been a large part of my professional career, and I'm very dedicated to that, so hopefully I will be able to add something.