Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced the appointment of Judge Reynaldo “Reggie” Aligada, Jr. ’02 to serve as associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Judge Aligada will join the bench as the first Asian Pacific American justice in Minnesota history, wrote the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association (MNAPABA).
“I am humbled and honored to be selected as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court,” said Judge Aligada in a press release from the Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “I am so grateful to the Governor and his team for entrusting me with this great responsibility. I recognize the impact the Court’s decisions have on the lives of Minnesotans, and I will strive to do justice and protect the rule of law.”
Judge Aligada currently serves as a district court judge for the Second Judicial District of Minnesota. He previously worked in the Office of the Federal Defender and as an associate at Robins Kaplan (then Robins, Kaplan, Miller, & Ciresi). He also clerked for Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright on the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Judge Michael J. Davis on the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. He is a graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law and has served on the Board of Trustees since 2019.
“Judge Aligada has had an exemplary career as a district court judge in the Second Judicial District, and he will bring that expertise to the Supreme Court,” said Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. “He has a superb legal mind and is widely recognized for his thoughtfulness, integrity, and warmth. Judge Aligada will be a tremendous asset to the Court.”
Judge Aligada will fill the position of associate justice in the fall. Justice Theodora Gaïtas, who currently occupies the role, has been appointed by Governor Walz to serve as chief justice of the Court upon the retirement of Chief Justice Hudson in September. Chief Justice Hudson, a one-time assistant dean at Hamline University School of Law (one of Mitchell Hamline’s predecessor institutions), has served as chief justice since 2023.