Speaker Emerita. Public servant. And proud Minnesota Law alumna. The University of Minnesota Law School community continues to mourn the tragic loss of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita and DFL Leader Melissa Hortman ’95 and her husband, Mark, who were killed in a targeted act of political violence on June 14, 2025. Their deaths shocked Minnesota and prompted an outpouring of grief and remembrance from colleagues, friends, and the communities they served.
Hortman dedicated her career to public service and to improving the lives of Minnesotans. First elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2004, she served as minority leader from 2017 to 2019 and as the 61st speaker of the House from 2019 to 2025. During her two-decade tenure in the legislature, she became known as a thoughtful and pragmatic leader who championed policies ranging from clean energy and education investments to reproductive rights and police reform.
Within the Minnesota Law community, Hortman is remembered not only for her public accomplishments but also for the qualities that defined her as a student and classmate. Faculty recall her as an engaged and talented advocate even during her law school years. Professor Emeritus Bradley Clary ’75, who coached Hortman on the National Moot Court team, describes her as “a thoughtful, honest, dedicated advocate in the finest traditions of the Law School.”
Members of the Class of 1995 remember those same qualities in the classroom and beyond.
“Melissa knew early on that she was interested in using her degree from Minnesota Law for public service, and that was well-known to us in the Class of 1995,” says Adjunct Professor Amy Sweasy ’95. “She took what she learned here at the Law School and used it as a dedicated public servant, an advocate for those who needed legal services, and, as she is most well known, to write and enact laws meant to improve the lives of all Minnesotans. Future recipients of the Representative Melissa Hortman Scholarship for Public Service will no doubt be inspired by what Melissa did with her Minnesota Law education and what they can do to honor her legacy.”
Born and raised in Minnesota, Hortman developed an early interest in politics and public policy. She earned her undergraduate degree from Boston University before returning home to pursue a J.D. at the University of Minnesota Law School, graduating cum laude in 1995. Law school, she once said, felt like a natural step for someone with ambitions to “save the world.”
Her career ultimately reflected that ambition. Known for her careful leadership and ability to navigate difficult political environments, Hortman helped shepherd major legislative initiatives through the Minnesota House and was widely respected by colleagues across the political spectrum. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz later called her one of the most consequential speakers in the state’s history.
Yet for many who knew her personally, Hortman’s impact can be measured as much by her character as by her accomplishments.
“Melissa was a thoughtful and dynamic law student. She embodied the best of the Class of 1995: excellence, honesty, respect, joy, humor, and selflessness. I greatly admired her,” says classmate Peter Hanf ’95.
Her passing has been especially difficult for her Minnesota Law classmates and the broader alumni community. In the days and weeks that followed, several members of the Class of 1995 reached out to the Law School, asking how they might honor her memory.
With the permission of the Hortman family, the University of Minnesota Law School has established the Representative Melissa Hortman ’95 Memorial Public Service Scholarship in her honor.
A lead gift has already helped launch the fund, and classmates and alumni have begun contributing to celebrate Hortman’s life and legacy. The scholarship will support students interested in public service who want to follow in Hortman's footsteps.
For those who studied alongside her — and for the many Minnesotans she served — Melissa Hortman remains a powerful example of the impact a lawyer can have in public life. Her legacy lives on in the policies she helped shape, the communities she represented, and the generations of students inspired by her dedication to justice and service.
Join the Class of 1995 and others in supporting the Representative Melissa Hortman '95 Memorial Public Service Scholarship