1. CHIEF JUSTICE GILDEA IS THE LEADER WE NEED!

Lorie Skjerven Gildea became Minnesota's fourth Chief Justice in five years in 2010.  She succeeded Eric Magnuson j(2010), Russell Anderson (2008), and Kathleen Blatz (2006).  We needed stability.

Lorie Skjerven Gildea became Minnesota's only Chief Justice born in the Space Age.  Fourteen of her 21 predecessors were born before 1899.  Only her three immediate predecessors were born after 1928.  We needed a commitment to bringing technology, efficiency, and effectiveness to our courts,

Lorie Skjerven Gildea became Minnesota's Chief Justice at a time when we needed to improve service and access to justice to veterans, the challenged, rural communities, and underserved communities of citizens.  We needed a leader who would guide greater access to the courts.

So Minnesota needed Lorie Skjerven Gildea to bring stability to the office of Chief Justice with a commitment to the future of the Judicial Branch and a dedication to:

• the rule of law,
• equal access to justice,
• the protection of individual rights,
• the reliability of the social contract,
• the separation of powers, and
• the faith that people could place in their courts.

Minnesota also needed Lorie Skjerven Gildea to yank our court system into the modern era. 

• We needed to move from paper files and carbon copies to computers and the cloud. 
• We needed to change systems to make our judiciary was more effective and efficient. 
• We needed to make our courts more responsive to under-served communities. 
• We needed to secure adequate court funds after years of stagnation.

As is discussed below, Lorie Skjerven Gildea has worked hard and well to deliver on those commitments.

This blog is dedicated to showing the factual basis of the efforts of Lorie Skjerven Gildea on technology, problem-solving courts, and improving service and access to underserved individuals and communities of people.

From posts 2 to 7, there are discussions of her work to lead the electronic revolution and savings in the Minnesota Judicial Branch.

From posts 8 to 14, there are discussions of her leadership on "Problem Solving Courts" or "Treatment Courts" that have saved hundreds of lives and millions of taxpayer dollars.

From posts 15 to 25, there are discussions of her efforts to improve equal access to justice for people and groups who have been underserved by the court system.

Thank you for considering these materials.  It is hoped that you will find this data to be useful.