Associate Justice Karl Procaccini made history on Monday afternoon, becoming the first Muslim to sit on the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Hundreds of current and former elected officials, justices, judges, attorneys and others filled the auditorium for the traditional investiture ceremony in which Chief Justice Natalie Hudson also made history as the first person of color to lead the court, MPR News reported.
In his remarks Monday, Procaccini said he would use his role to protect the rule of law.
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“The rule of law is so fragile, and it requires constant upkeep and regeneration. And this requires a renewed and enduring commitment by each generation to ensure that our court’s integrity,” he told the crowd at the Minnesota History Center after taking his oath with his hand on the Constitution and the Qur’an.
Procaccini, 40, comes from a University of St. Thomas School of Law teaching position. He also spent time as general counsel to Gov. Tim Walz in his first term.
Procaccini helped orchestrate the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a large part of why Walz chose to appoint him.
“At the heart of those decisions, at a time when lives were in the balance. It was Justice Karl Procaccini who was there to make sure that we were doing things the right way,” Walz said.
“Decision after decision after decision, what I saw was always in the best interest of Minnesotans with the highest ethics.”
Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden nominated Adeel A. Mangi, a Harvard- and Oxford-trained lawyer, to the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, based in Philadelphia.
It comes two years after Biden nominated the first Muslim to a federal district court, Zahid N. Quraishi, who was confirmed by the Senate for a judgeship in New Jersey.