10th MLK Convocation in Honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Realizing Dr. King’s Dream: The Role of Justice and Public Service in Advancing Equality and Access
When
February 14, 2025, 12:15 to 1:15 pm
Where
Walter F. Mondale Hall
Room 25

University of Minnesota Law School
229 19th Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55455

10th MLK Convocation in Honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Realizing Dr. King's Dream: The Role of Justice and Public Service in Advancing Equality and Access Friday February 14, 2025 12:15 to 1:15 pm (CT) Room 25, Mondale Hall Featuring Honorable Justice Natalie E. Hudson '82 Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court In conversation with William McGeveran Dean, William S. Pattee Professor of Law

The University of Minnesota Law School is pleased to present our 10th MLK Convocation in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Realizing Dr. King's Dream: The Role of Justice and Public Service in Advancing Equality and Access,” with Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson '82. Dean William McGeveran will provide introductory remarks and an overview of our Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. annual series, followed by facilitating the conversation with Justice Hudson. The key focus of this year's lecture will be on the obligation of lawyers and courts to ensure equal access to justice, while pulling inspiration from Dr. King's words:

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

Appointment

Natalie E. Hudson was appointed Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court by Governor Tim Walz on Oct. 2, 2023. She first joined the Supreme Court on Oct. 26, 2015, by appointment of Governor Mark Dayton. She was elected Associate Justice in 2016 and 2022. She was re-elected as Chief Justice in 2024. Her current term as Chief Justice expires in Jan. 2031.

Natalie E. Hudson joined the Minnesota Court of Appeals on June 3, 2002, by appointment of Governor Jesse Ventura.  She was elected to the post in 2004 and re-elected in 2010.

Professional Experience

Justice Hudson was a staff attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, Inc., from 1982 to 1986, where she practiced housing law; an associate attorney in employment law and general civil litigation at the law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi from 1986 to 1988; an Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at Hamline University School of Law from 1989 to 1992; and St. Paul City Attorney from 1992 to 1994.  From 1994 until her appointment to the Court of Appeals, she was employed with the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, primarily in the Criminal Appellate Division. 

Education

Justice Hudson graduated from Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ, in 1979, and the University of Minnesota Law School in 1982, where she served on the Law Review staff and was Editor-in-Chief of Quaere, the law school newspaper (1980-1981).

Personal and Community

Justice Hudson is a member of several associations, including the American Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Ramsey County Bar Association, the Advisory Board of Minnesota Women Lawyers, the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, and the Minnesota Association of Black Women Lawyers.  From 1993 to 2001, she served on the Implementation Committee on Multicultural Diversity and Racial Fairness in the Courts. She also served on the Minnesota Supreme Court Racial Bias Task Force (1991-1993), and served on the Minnesota Legal Services Planning Committee from 2008-2011. In Sept. 2011, Justice Hudson was selected to serve on the Warren E. Burger Inn of Court as a group leader. She also served on the Alumni Board of the University of Minnesota Law School from 2004 to 2010. She also has served as a “reading buddy” with the Everybody Wins tutorial program at Benjamin E. Mays Elementary School and participates annually in the Minnesota Court of Appeals Dorothy Day Center cookout.

Justice Hudson is married to the Reverend Willie Hudson, retired Pastor of St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church in Minneapolis and the past Chaplain Coordinator for the St. Paul Police Department.  Justice Hudson’s stepson, Kobie, is an attorney and criminal intelligence analyst with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Minnesota Law’s Annual MLK Convocation

In 2016, the University of Minnesota Law School and its Diversity Committee launched the first Annual MLK Convocation in an effort to bring all members of the Law School community together to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and reflect on the continued relevance of his work in our legal community. View past MLK Convocation lectures on our website.

CLE Credits
1.0 standard CLE credit requested, pending event code: #523166
Accessibility Information

If you are unable to attend the in-person lecture, a video recording will be available on the event page following the event. 

Parking Information