The newest member of the Minnesota Supreme Court formally took her seat on the bench Monday during an investiture ceremony.

Associate Justice Theodora Gaïtas was sworn in at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

“I am honored to stand before you today to pledge my commitment to serving the people of Minnesota as an associate justice of the Supreme Court,” Gaïtas said. “I am also deeply grateful — thank you Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan for giving me this opportunity.”

Walz, who is the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, took a break from the campaign trail to attend the ceremony.

“I can tell you with absolute confidence that Justice Gaïtas is the right person for this moment,” Walz said Monday. “I know that the state’s high court and the people of Minnesota will be well served.”

Gaïtas officially joined the Supreme Court on Aug. 1 during a private swearing-in ceremony.

In April, Walz appointed Gaïtas and Sarah Hennesy to replace, respectively, Margaret Chutich and G. Barry Anderson, who have retired. Gaïtas and Hennesy were the third and fourth members Walz has appointed to the high court. Walz’s predecessor, Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, appointed the other three members of the court.

Hennesy formally took the oath of office in July.

Gaïtas had been a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She previously served as a judge on the Hennepin County District Court, where she presided over a felony caseload in the criminal division. A graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, she also worked as an attorney in private practice and as an appellate public defender.

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