Theodora Gaïtas (born 1970 or 1971)[1] is an American lawyer and jurist. Since 2024, she has served as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.[2] She served from 2020 to 2024 as a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals and from 2018 to 2020 as a district court judge in the Fourth Judicial District (Hennepin County). In 2026, Governor Tim Walz selected her to become the next Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.[3]
Theodora Gaïtas | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gaïtas in 2026 | |
| Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court | |
Designate | |
| Assuming office September 30, 2026 | |
| Appointed by | Tim Walz |
| Succeeding | Natalie Hudson |
| Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office August 1, 2024 | |
| Appointed by | Tim Walz |
| Preceded by | Margaret Chutich |
| Succeeded by | Reynaldo Aligada (designate) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1970 or 1971 (age 55–56) Minnesota, U.S. |
| Education | University of Minnesota (BA, JD) |
Education
editGaïtas attended the American Community School of Athens for elementary, middle, and high school, graduating in 1987. She earned a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Minnesota in 1991 and a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1994.[4]
Career
editDuring law school, Gaïtas served as a law clerk in the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. After graduating, she worked as a public defender in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, from 1994 to 1996. In 1996, she returned to Minnesota, serving as a clerk for Judge Robert H. Schumacher of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Gaïtas then worked as an assistant public defender in the Office of the Minnesota Appellate Public Defender from 1998 to 2013. From 2013 to 2018, Gaïtas was in private practice at Matonich Law.
In 2018, Governor Mark Dayton appointed Gaïtas as a district court judge in the Fourth Judicial District (Hennepin County District Court). She served as a district court judge from September 12, 2018, to August 24, 2020.[4]
In May 2020, Governor Tim Walz appointed Gaïtas to serve as a judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.[5][6] She took office on August 24, 2020, succeeding John Rodenberg, and was elected in 2022. Gaïtas served as a court of appeals judge from 2020 to 2024, succeeded by Elizabeth Bentley.
On April 22, 2024, Walz announced his intent to appoint Gaïtas to the Minnesota Supreme Court.[7] She was sworn in as an associate justice on August 1, 2024.
Gaïtas is only the second person to have served as a judge on every level of Minnesota’s judicial system, having served as a district court judge, a court of appeals judge, and Minnesota Supreme Court justice.
Personal life
editReferences
edit- ↑ Ferguson, Dana (April 22, 2024). "Walz appoints Theodora Gaïtas and Sarah Hennesy to Minnesota Supreme Court". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead.
- ↑ "Associate Justice Theodora Karin Gaïtas". mncourts.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ↑ Kite, Allison (May 19, 2026). "Walz names Theodora Gaïtas as chief justice of Minnesota Supreme Court". Minnesota Star Tribune. Minneapolis.
She will replace Natalie Hudson when Hudson retires this fall.
- 1 2 "Minnesota Judicial Branch - Bio". www.mncourts.gov. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ↑ "Hennepin County Judge Theodora Gaïtas Named To Court Of Appeals". www.cbsnews.com. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
- ↑ "Walz names Hennepin County Judge Gaitas to Court of Appeals". AP NEWS. 2020-05-19. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
- ↑ Ferguson, Dana (April 22, 2024). "Walz appoints Theodora Gaïtas and Sarah Hennesy to Minnesota Supreme Court". Minnesota Public Radio.
- ↑ Day, Jeff (September 16, 2024). "Four things to know about Theodora Gaïtas, the newest member of the Minnesota Supreme Court". Minnesota Star Tribune.