Reflecting on Decades of Justice Work

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There were few women serving in the courts in 1986, when I was named by Governor Rudy Perpich to be a judge for the Fourth Judicial District Court, covering all of Hennepin County. Today, women have greater numbers in the courts, law firms, and Congress. I am proud to have been part of the opening that we widened.

During my career, I was fortunate to be mentored by Justice Rosalie Wahl — the first woman appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court. She selected me to serve on the Supreme Court task forces created to eliminate gender and racial bias in the courts. We were able to change procedures and implement training for the entire court system and create greater respect for women lawyers in the courts.

In 1993, Justice Wahl asked me to serve as one of two U.S. speakers at the first world conference of women judges in New Zealand. I was able to travel the world, meeting with women judges in Europe, Morocco, Brazil, and various African countries to teach and share our respective efforts to make justice more equal and accessible.

I called on Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, to reserve seats for my students from William Mitchell College of Law to see oral arguments for a cross-burning case from Saint Paul.

Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall gave me permission to quote from his speeches and help the public understand the eternal vigilance required of lawyers and judges in order to protect the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

Minnesota’s Dred Scott History

I have worked on several history projects with Roxanne Givens. One of them was raising awareness about the history of Dred Scott and his wife Harriet, who were enslaved at Fort Snelling.

Scott’s 11 years of litigation led to a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 to deny his lawsuit for freedom, which in effect upheld slavery across state lines, rejected the legality of Black citizenship, and fueled tensions that led to the U.S. Civil War. The court ruled that “a Black man has no rights that a white man is bound to respect.” Historians have since learned that President James Buchanan had exerted political pressure on a member of the court, which has always been highly improper.

Today, we are again at a time when the president is attempting to assert his views over Congress and the Court. This denies the constitutional co-equal branches of government, often equated to a three-legged stool. Democracy fails if one of the legs breaks. We once again are at a critical point in history. Will the courts stand up to the authoritarian edicts of the White House?

Robert Bork was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan. He largely believed the president should have unrestrained authority. After Bork was denied confirmation, he formed his own Federalist law society that could groom and promote lawyers for judicial appointments.

The Federalists now control the majority of the seats on the Court.

Today, I am retired from the courts, but serve as the honorary consul for South Africa in Minnesota. I am sustained by God, my family, and friends in both the storms of life and the sunshine. Being courageous and not fearful of others must be practiced each and every day.

Resource: mnhs.org/fortsnelling/exhibit/dred-scott

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Now that she is retired, LaJune Lange looks forward to summer grilling and working on her golf game at Hiawatha Golf Course — near the site where Dred Scott was held, and where Black people have golfed since the 1930s.