>> ERIC: THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO LEAD THE SUPREME COURT WAS SWORN IN LATE LAST OCTOBER IN A PRIVATE CEREMONY.

GOVERNOR TIM WALZ ELEVATED ASSOCIATE JUSTICE NATALIE HUDSON TO CHIEF JUSTICE AFTER LORIE GILDEA STEPPED DOWN IN THE FALL.

JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT HER FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS LEADING THE COURT AND WHAT HER HISTORIC APPOINTMENT MEANS, CHIEF JUSTICE NATALIE HUDSON.

WELCOME BACK, YOUR HONOR.

>> THANK YOU.

WHEZ YOU'RE A FIRST, AND YOU'VE BEEN A FIRST QUITE A BIT -- >> I HAVE.

>> Eric: -- IS THERE A CERTAIN BURDEN, RESPONSIBILITY YOU FEEL?

>> I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS IS WHEN YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON.

THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF EXPECTATIONS, AND I THINK THAT'S FAIR.

>> Eric: DOES IT WEIGH ON YOU?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I THINK I WOULD BE LESS THAN HONEST TO SAY IT DOESN'T WEIGH ON YOU.

BUT IT'S ALSO SUCH AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE.

AND THAT'S HOW I HAVE LOOKED AT THIS PARTICULAR APPOINTMENT.

AND I HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORT, BOTH WITHIN THE JUDICIAL BRANCH, FROM MY COLLEAGUES ON THE COURT, OBVIOUSLY FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND, SO, I'M NOT BEARING THAT WEIGHT CERTAINLY BY MYSELF.

BUT IT'S CERTAINLY AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE.

>> Cathy: YOU'RE A TRAILBLAZER.

BUT I'M WONDERING, WHO WERE SOME OF YOUR MENTORS THAT HAVE BEEN HELPING YOU ALONG?

>> OH, GOSH, THERE'S SO MANY.

JUSTICE ALAN PAGE, FOR ONE, WHOSE POSITION I TOOK ON THE SUPREME COURT.

JUST WATCHING HIS REMARKABLE CAREER, BUT ALONG THE WAY, YOU KNOW, SOME OF MY EARLY MENTORS, MY FIRST BOSS, BRUCE BENEKE AT LEGAL SERVICES, MARVIN ANDERSON, WHO WAS A PIONEER IN HIS OWN RIGHT, THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN LAW LIBRARIAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA LAW CHOOL AND AS THE STATE LAW LIBRARIAN.

SO THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE OF ME ALONG THE WAY.

BOB STANOCH, ONE OF MY MENTORS WHEN I WAS AT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE TAUGHT ME REALLY TO BE AN PAULATE LAWYER, WHICH HAS HELPED ME IN MY CAREER AS IT HAS GONE FORWARD.

>> Eric: JUSTICE PAGE WROTE A LANDMARK STUDY ON BIAS IN THE COURT.

AND I WONDER HOW YOU FEEL THE COURT SYSTEM IS DOING IN THAT REGARD.

>> I THINK WE'RE DOING WELL.

THERE'S CERTAINLY MORE WORK TO DO.

IT'S ALWAYS A WORK IN PROGRESS.

THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS IN WHICH IMPLICIT BIASES PLAY A ROLE IN -- FOR ALL OF US IN HOW WE VIEW WHAT WE DO AND DO WHAT WE DO, AND, SO, IT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO ALWAYS KEEP OUR EYE ON AND CONTINUE TO WORK ON.

THE COURT SYSTEM, OBVIOUSLY, CONTINUES TO DO THAT.

>> Eric: WHEN YOU WERE HERE IN 2015, YOU TALKED ABOUT KEEPING A PERSONAL REPORT CARD.

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER THAT OR NOT.

>> I DON'T REMEMBER THAT.

OKAY.

>> Cathy: THAT'S OKAY.

>> THAT WAS 2015.

>> Eric: BUT I WONDER, ARE YOU A TOUGH GRADER ON YOURSELF?

>> I THINK I AM.

I THINK I AM.

I'M FAIRLY INTROSPECTIVE ABOUT WHAT I'M DOING, AND I THINK WE ALL HAVE TO PERIODICALLY TAKE STOCK, AM I DOING THE BEST THAT I CAN DO, SPEAKING OF BIASES, AM I TREATING PEOPLE IN THE WAY THAT THEY SHOULD BE TREATED OR WOULD I TREAT THIS PERSON DIFFERENTLY IF I KNEW THIS ABOUT THEM OR DIDN'T KNOW THAT ABOUT THEM.

BUT I THINK IT'S GOOD TO TAKE STOCK PERIODICALLY OF WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE, WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR CAREER.

ARE YOU DOING THE THINGS THAT ADD VALUE TO YOUR WORK.

AND I TRY TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

>> Cathy: LET ME SEE.

I BELIEVE THAT MANDATORY RETIREMENT ON THE BENCH IS 66.

>> Eric: 70.

>> Cathy: EXCUSE ME.

>> I'D HAVE O LEAVE.

>> Cathy: EXACTLY.

SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE HERE FOR A LITTLE WHILE YET.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: WHAT WILL BE THE HALLMARKS OF A HUDSON ADMINISTRATION ON THE BENCH?

>> WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT INHERITED AND CAME INTO FROM CHIEF JUSTICE GILDEA WAS THE COURT GOING TO REMOTE HEARINGS.

WE HAD TO MAKE THAT PIVOT DURING THE PANDEMIC IN ORDER TO KEEP THE JUSTICE SYSTEM OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE BECAUSE WE COULDN'T GATHER AS WE DID PREPANDEMIC.

AND, SO, WE STARTED USING REMOTE ABILITIES FOR COURT HEARINGS, BUT WE DIDN'T FINISH THAT.

AND, SO, WE STILL HAVE A WAYS TO GO TO DETERMINE WHAT'S GOING TO CONTINUE, WHAT HEARINGS ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE REMOTE, WHICH ARE NOT, HOW WE PRIORITIZE THOSE.

AND I THINK THAT WILL BE A VERY SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS AS WE CEMENT HOW WE MOVE FORWARD WITH REMOTE HEARINGS.

>> Cathy: YOU'RE ALSO MOVING FORWARD, JANUARY 1st WAS THE BEGINNING OF BROADER USE OF CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOMS.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: NOW, DO ALL PARTIES HAVE TO SIGN OFF, THE JUDGE AND BOTH HE ATTORNEYS?

>> THERE'S STILL A LOT OF DISCRETION FOR THE DISTRICT COURT JUDGES IN TERMS OF WHICH HEARINGS CAN BE TELEVISED AND WHAT CANNOT BE TELEVISED.

BUT WE HAVE LOOSENED SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS.

AND, SO, YOU WILL SEE MORE CAMERAS IN THE COURTROOM.

>> Cathy: ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THIS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL?

>> I AM.

I AM.

YOU KNOW, I HAD SOME MISGIVINGS INITIALLY, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SOME CONCERNS BY MANY THAT CAMERAS WOULD LEAD TO SOME GRANDSTANDING IN THE COURTROOMS.

WE HAVEN'T SEEN THAT ON THE TRIALS THAT HAVE BEEN PUBLICIZED, WE HAVEN'T SEEN THAT.

AND I THINK THERE'S ALWAYS SOME CONCERN THAT OF THE EFFECT THAT CAMERAS MIGHT HAVE ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR TO THE EXTENT THAT PERSONS OF COLOR ARE OVERREPRESENTED IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, IN PARTICULAR, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK CAMERAS HAVE DONE IS THEY'VE ALLOWED PEOPLE AN INSIGHT, A VIEW INTO OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, AND I THINK THAT FOSTERS A SENSE OF FAIRNESS, PEOPLE GET TO SEE WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS.

AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD THING.

AND, SO, ON BALANCE, I THINK CAMERAS HAVE PROVED TO BE A POSITIVE THING.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE MOTHER RECENT HIGH-PROFILE CRIMINAL -- MORE RECENT HIGH-PROFILE CRIMINAL TRIALS HAVE SHOWN IT CAN WORK IF HANDLED PROPERLY AND WE CAN DO THAT.

>> Eric: WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING DOWN TONIGHT.

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