Members Appointed to New State Board of Civil Legal Aid
The Minnesota Judicial Branch announced via news release on April 17, 2025, that Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson had signed an order appointing members to the new State Board of Civil Legal Aid. The order, signed on April 11, introduced the 11 members: six appointed by the Supreme Court and five appointed by the Governor. The State Board of Civil Legal Aid was created to ensure quality advocacy for persons unable to afford private counsel.
The Minnesota Supreme Court-appointed members of the new Board are Emily Cooper, Katy Drahos, Jeremy Lane, John Murphy, Suumra Shariff, and Christopher Wendt. The governor’s appointees are Tarryl Clark, John Gordon, Holley Horrell, Anna Pottratz Acosta and Korey Wahwassuck.
“The Minnesota Judicial Branch has long been committed to ensuring access to justice for all Minnesotans. The creation of this new Board and the appointment of its members is an exciting step forward in achieving access to civil legal services for those who are currently underserved,” said Chief Justice Hudson. “The members appointed by the Court have clearly demonstrated a commitment to maintaining high-quality civil legal services for people of low or moderate means, and they reflect the diverse populations served by civil legal aid.”
The Board of Civil Legal Aid was established by the Minnesota Legislature during its 2024 session and was charged with duties including approval and recommendation of a budget to the Legislature for the Board and the civil legal services grants distributed subject to section 480.242; establishing procedures for distribution of funding under the section; and establishing civil program standards, administrative policies, or procedures necessary to ensure quality advocacy for persons unable to afford private counsel.
The Board of Civil Legal Aid will become effective July 1, 2025. It will be a new judicial board, replacing the role previously held by the Legal Services Advisory Committee. In 2023, civil legal aid grantees provided legal representation and advice to 47,708 households consisting of more than 114,593 people throughout all 87 Minnesota counties.