Judge J. Michelle Childs
“Justice only lives where people can access it,” said Judge J. Michelle Childs of the United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, speaking at Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s fifth annual Hon. Steven E. Rau Memorial Lecture on Dec. 1, 2025.
Judge Childs’s keynote address focused on timely issues as the nation faces a crisis of unprecedented violence, intimidation, and attacks on judicial independence.
“Judicial independence is not meant to benefit judges but to promote the rule of law,” she said. “It is not for judges to do as they wish, but to do as they must.” Rather than being a form of isolation or activism, judicial independence ensures courts can decide cases free from private interests or political pressure.
Judge Childs spoke to the harrowing difficulties faced by herself and her colleagues in recent months. She has had seven anonymous pizzas delivered to her house as an intimidation tactic, and a dozen federal judges spoke with NBC about the escalation of violent threats to their lives.
“The strength of our democracy has always depended on the independence of our judiciary,” she said.
Judge Childs reminded judges that they are dedicated public servants and encouraged them to continue their “quiet, steadfast work,” and the daily deliberate acts that keep justice in reach. Expanding her call, she urged everyone to enter this national conversation and demand civility in order to continue upholding justice.
From left: Professor Mehmet Konar-Steenberg, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Paul Floyd ’83, and Professor Ana Pottratz Acosta
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Professor Ana Pottratz Acosta, and Paul Floyd ’83, partner at Wallen-Friedman & Floyd, offered their perspectives and advice on how lawyers can practically enter the conversation, in a panel moderated by Professor Konar-Steenberg.
Attorney General Ellison highlighted how essential courage is for lawyers, who should be willing to “take some heat” and prove their fidelity to the attorney’s oath. “I think lawyers in 2025 are the heroes in America,” he said.
For Floyd, a former president of various Minnesota bar associations, community matters. “Bar associations can do what judges cannot,” he said, such as raising their voices as organizations, providing community support, and holding public demonstrations, like lawyers signing in support of the rule of law at the Minnesota Capitol on Constitution Day.
Pottratz Acosta, who currently teaches immigration law as a visiting clinical professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, said that defending the rule of law is an increasingly complex question. As an immigration lawyer, she is familiar with the impact on marginalized communities. She encourages lawyers to put in the daily work of defending clients and speaking up with power their clients might not have.
Magistrate Judge Leo Brisbois ’87
This is daunting but critical work, said Magistrate Judge Leo Brisbois ’87, chair of the lecture planning committee. “It is every generation’s responsibility to protect the rule of law,” he said, “not only for us, but for those who aren’t even born.”
This event, sponsored by Dorsey & Whitney and Fredrikson, was the fifth installation of an annual lecture series established in honor of Judge Steven E. Rau ’83. Judge Rau, a member of the Mitchell Hamline Board of Trustees and a well-known member of the legal community, passed away in 2019. The Alumni Association Board named the lecture series in his memory to recognize his contributions to the community and enduring commitment to civility and collegiality in the legal profession. A memorial scholarship was also established in his name.
The fifth annual Hon. Steven E. Rau Memorial Lecture was also featured in Minnesota Lawyer.