Posted: Monday, August 20, 2012

Minnesota Court of Appeals Judge Wilhelmina Wright has been appointed to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.  She will fill the seat vacated by the retirement earlier this month of Associate Justice Helen Meyer.

"Judge Wright has proven her exceptional judiciary skills by authoring over 700 opinions during her decade serving on the Minnesota Court of Appeals," said Governor Dayton in announcing the appointment. "I read several of her opinions before making my decision.  I was greatly impressed by her exceptional intellect, her written communication skills and, most importantly, her excellent judgment.  I believe that she will serve the people of Minnesota with great distinction on our Supreme Court."

Prior to being appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2002, Judge Wright served as a trial judge in the Second Judicial District (Ramsey County) and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota.

About her appointment Judge Wright said, “I am honored to serve the people of Minnesota as an Associate Justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court.  I will work hard to ensure that Minnesotans continue to have a judiciary that is committed to fairness and justice for all who entrust us with their most important affairs.  It is my good fortune to devote my life’s work to preserving and to promoting the values of freedom and equal justice – values that I believe in so deeply."

Judge Wright earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Yale College and her Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, where she was the Executive Editor of the Harvard Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review. She lives in St. Paul with her husband Dan Schmechel and their daughter Kathryn.