Walz names Gaitas as next Supreme Court Chief Justice

ST. PAUL — Gov. Tim Walz announced a new chief justice for the state’s highest court.

Theodora Gaïtas will assume the position of chief justice on Oct. 1.

She has served on the state’s Supreme Court since 2024, after serving four years in the Court of Appeals.

She will be the first public defender to ever serve in the role.

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Minnesota Judicial Branch

“Justice Gaïtas is an outstanding choice to serve as Minnesota’s next Chief Justice,” stated retiring Chief Justice Natalie Hudson in a news release.

“I have had the privilege of working closely with her on the Supreme Court for the last two years and I have been impressed by her deep knowledge of the law, her commitment to the collaborative work of the court, her unparalleled work ethic, and her willingness to take on additional administrative work without complaint.”

“Many years ago, when Justice Gaïtas and I were both still practicing attorneys, we were frequent legal adversaries,” Hudson added. “I knew then that she would later be what she has, in fact, become: one of the most talented and respected jurists in the state.”

Before her appointment to the bench, Justice Gaïtas was in private practice with Matonich Law and served as an appellate public defender with the Office of the Minnesota Appellate Public Defender. Justice Gaïtas is a 1994 cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.

Walz also named Reynaldo Aligada to fill the Supreme Court vacancy that will open upon Gaïtas’ promotion.

Aligada was appointed as a Ramsey County District Court judge in 2019.

Previous to his position as a judge, he served as First Assistant Federal Defender in the Office of the Federal Defender in Minneapolis, an associate attorney at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, and as a judicial law clerk at both the United States District Court and the Minnesota Court of Appeals. He holds a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and a B.A. from St. John’s University.

Aligada will assume his new role on the Supreme Court on Oct. 1.