A cheerful Margaret Chutich stopped by the newspaper last week to answer some questions about why she is campaigning for the Minnesota Supreme Court. Staff photo/Brian Larsen
“I’m not a politician,” said an apologetic Margaret Chutich last Friday, July 27.
“But,” Chutich, added, “I really like my job. That’s why I am out campaigning to keep it.”
A Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, Chutich has competition in the upcoming fall election. She was in Grand Marais, a place she has often visited, meeting the public when she took some time out of her busy schedule to sit down for an early morning interview.
Chutich has extensive and varied experience in many parts of the law. This experience, she said, has aided her greatly in cases that come before the court.
Her background
“Starting out, I spent five years in private practice and then served in the criminal division of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. I also prosecuted federal criminal cases in the criminal division of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office before returning to the Attorney General’s Office to oversee the law enforcement section.”
Next, she served three years as Assistant Dean for the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. That led to a 2012 appointment by Governor Mark Dayton to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Following that, the governor subsequently appointmented her in 2016 to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Minnesota Supreme Court
If you don’t know much about the seven people who serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court, Chutich said, “That’s because we are usually appointed for judges who retire during their terms. We have to go through a rigorous screening and interview process in front of a panel of thirteen interviewers. Then, when there are three candidates left, the governor interviews us again and decides who to appoint.
“As far as what the public knows about us, they hear from us as a group on important legal issues. But individually, we tend to be a quiet group who spends a lot of time in our chambers working. Mostly we are nerds who love to study the law. Out of 700 petitions for review, we only hear about 100 cases a year, but they are difficult and require rigorous study.”
The searing selection process Chutich referenced is stymied, however, when a judge comes up for election, and someone decides to run against them.
“All it takes to run for the Minnesota State Supreme Court is to have a law license and pay $300 to file for the election. A challenger who chooses to run for this office doesn’t have to undergo any screening or thorough vetting. That’s why most justices retire in the middle of their terms to make sure their replacement is qualified to serve on the bench.”
When asked how much Chutich works, she answered, “Six days a week. There is a lot of reading to do. We also have administrative duties. I also work hard on my opinions. I try to write opinions that are accessible, readable; opinions that are understandable to the public. This is especially important for the party who I may be voting against. I want them to know why the law wasn’t on their side.”
As far as opinions, she was asked if she ever wrote any that she disagreed with.
“Yes. In some cases, my personal feeling is very different from the finding of the law. But that’s what we are to do, make sure we follow the laws as written. It doesn’t happen too often. But we take an oath to uphold the law, and that’s what we do.
“Sometimes I write a dissenting opinion. I feel good about weighing in with another view. We are seven different people on the bench with seven very different backgrounds and viewpoints, but we get along well and work together well. We respect each other even when we differ. As I said, I like my job, and I hope I can continue with it.
“I’m 60 now, and the terms are six years. We have a mandatory retirement age of 70, so we don’t sit on the bench for life. If I win this time, at the end of the six years I will determine whether I want to run again and serve four more years.
“But for now, I hope people vote for me. That’s why I am traveling around the state so people can get to know me.”
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