News
Justice McKeig takes the stage in “The Aunties” at St. Catherine’s University
Minnesota Monthly | March 6, 2024
Justice Anne K. McKeig and Sandy White Hawk are Indigenous leaders in Minnesota who will take to the stage as part of “The Aunties” performance April 20 at the O’Shaughnessy of St. Catherine University. This site-specific storytelling series features three Native American matriarchs from the region who “share their wisdom, humor, challenges, and reasons for celebration.”
Justice McKeig speaks at Minnesota Peace Initiative forum at Norway House
Star Tribune | December 29, 2023
Earlier this fall, Justice McKeig spoke at a Minnesota Peace Initiative forum at Norway House, formerly the Norwegian Center for Art, Culture and Business on E. Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis — an urban area with one of the highest concentrations of American Indians in the country. At turns humorous, candid and irreverent, she discussed the many hurdles she had to clear to become the first American Indian appointed to the highest court of any state, and the work she's doing today to help remove those barriers for others.
Justice Anne McKeig elected to American Law Institute
American Law Institute | August 24, 2022
The American Law Institute elected Justice McKeig to this independent nonprofit that publishes materials that can be used throughout the legal system to better the administration of justice. The ALI publishes restatements and model codes to help attorneys and others in the legal system interpret laws and precedents.
Mitchell Hamline Law Review honors Justice McKeig with Wallace Lerner Award
Mitchell Hamline Law Review | April 28, 2022
Mitchell Hamline Law Review presented Justice McKeig its Wallace-Lerner Award for Excellence in Leadership. The award honors those whose service to the legal profession reflects the values of our publication: community, communication, and collaboration.
Justice McKeig co-authors article: Mentoring: A First Step to Uplifting Women of Color in the Law
Minnesota Women Lawyer | December 16, 2020
You can read the article co-authored by Justice McKeig about mentoring women of color in law school and as young lawyers:
Justice McKeig receives 2020 Child Welfare Leadership Award
Minnesota Judicial Branch News | April 2020
The University of Minnesota’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare honored Justice McKeig with the 2020 Child Welfare Leadership Award. The University recognized Justice McKeig’s collaboration on practices to address child custody, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and equal access to justice.
Mitchell Hamline School of Law honors Justice McKeig with Distinguished Alumni Award
Mitchell Hamline School of Law | August 16, 2019
Justice McKeig’s alma mater Mitchell Hamline School of Law granted her its Distinguished Alumni Award “for her professional accomplishments, high ethical standards, and lasting contributions to the legal field.”
Justice McKeig speaks at Red Lake High School commencement
The Bemidji Pioneer | June 2, 2018
Justice McKeig was Saturday's commencement speaker in Red Lake. She talked about her experience as the first Native American to become a member of the state's highest court. Her advice to graduates was to "celebrate this moment, remember this moment," and “to dream big.” "When you dream big, you are representing all of us."
MN Supreme Court "Ride Along" Program: Justice Anne McKeig Visits Walker
By Maggie Montgomery | KAXE-KBXE Radio | Nov/Dec 2017
Justice Anne McKeig recently spent a couple of days visiting the courts in Bemidji and Walker as part of the Minnesota Supreme Court judicial "ride along" program. Justice McKeig grew up on the Leech Lake Reservation in the Sugar Point and Federal Dam areas. She graduated from Northland High School in Remer before attending the College of St. Catherine and the Hamline School of Law.
Justice McKeig profiled in Hennepin Lawyer magazine
By Brittney Miller | Hennepin Lawyer | Nov/Dec 2017
Justice Anne McKeig is featured in the November/December 2017 issue of Hennepin Lawyer magazine. The 2-page feature story was written by Brittney Miller, an attorney at Moss and Barnett who specializes in the practice of family law and previously clerked for Justice McKeig in Hennepin County Family Court.
Hennepin County Judges in MN Invite Insights from Urban Native Community
Minnesota Native News
Judges on the Hennepin Country District Court are reaching out to American Indians living in the county - to hear about their experiences in family court.
Family court hears cases involving child custody, divorce and domestic violence. White Earth descendent Anne McKeig (mc-keg) was a judge in the Hennepin County family court before she was appointed as a Justice on the state Supreme Court in fall of 2016. She says she is still involved in the county judicial listening sessions.
Justice Anne K. McKeig to Receive 2017 Distinguished Minnesotan Award
Bemidji State University News | April 12, 2017
Justice Anne K. McKeig, the first American Indian to serve the State of Minnesota as a Supreme Court justice, is the recipient of Bemidji State University’s 35th Distinguished Minnesotan award.
First presented by Bemidji State in 1981, the Distinguished Minnesotan award acknowledges the contributions of current or former residents of the state who have performed exemplary service to the people of Minnesota or the United States.
Anne McKeig ’92: A fearless protector of children
Mitchell Hamline School of Law News | June 8, 2017
A native of tiny Federal Dam, Minn. (population 110), within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, Anne McKeig ’92 (HUSL) took daily 30-mile bus rides to Northland Community Schools in Remer. During her freshman year there, her class had an assignment to choose careers they were interested in and then report their findings. She picked dentistry, designed an eye-catching folder with the image of a mouth on its cover, and set about compiling her research.
There was just one problem.
An interview with Justice Anne McKeig of the Minnesota Supreme Court
Bench & Bar of Minnesota | February 6, 2017
Justice Anne McKeig joined the Minnesota Supreme Court as an associate justice on September 1, 2016. A descendant of the White Earth Nation, Justice McKeig is the first American Indian to sit on the state’s highest court. Her appointment also created a women’s majority on the court. Justice McKeig serves on numerous committees and boards related to many issues, including child protection, domestic violence, and Native American Indian matters. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Justice McKeig served as a Hennepin County District Court judge, presiding in Family Court.
When the McKeig family lost it all, an entire union was there
Elevate Minnesota | February 3, 2017
Anne McKeig was born and raised up in Federal Dam by a union man who instilled the importance of hard work and respect – two values that Anne has carried through her life and continues to pass down to her children every day.
The daughter of a heavy equipment operator, she began developing her work ethic as a dishwasher at age 13, and she hasn’t stopped since. Anne went on to college, earned a law degree and worked all the way up to the Hennepin County bench. Now, she’s Minnesota’s most recently appointed Supreme Court Justice.
Dayton picks new Supreme Court justice
By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger | Pioneer Press | June 28, 2016
Hennepin County Judge Anne McKeig could not hold back her tears Tuesday morning as Gov. Mark Dayton announced her appointment to the Minnesota Supreme Court.
“Today is a historic day, not only for myself and for my family but for all Native people. It underscores the importance of one person leading so that another can follow,” McKeig said during the announcement, attended by court members, her family, mentors and colleagues.