Flags To Fly At Half-Staff Tuesday In Honor Of Former Justice Esther Tomljanovich

a(KNSI) – Flags across Minnesota will be lowered Tuesday in memory of a woman who broke barriers on the state’s highest court.

Governor Tim Walz has ordered all United States and Minnesota flags to fly at half-staff at state buildings from sunrise to sunset on Tuesday, August 11th, honoring former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Esther M. Tomljanovich, known widely as “Justice T.”

Tomljanovich died July 26th at the age of 94.

Walz called her a trailblazer for women, lawyers, and students.

“She led with kindness, warmth, and generosity, serving the state and Minnesota Supreme Court with pride,” Walz said in a statement. “Gwen and I extend our thoughts to her family, friends, and all whose lives she touched.”

Born in Galt, Iowa, Tomljanovich was raised on Minnesota’s Iron Range and graduated from Nashwauk High School. She moved to St. Paul and rented a room at the YWCA while attending St. Paul College of Law, where she was the only woman in her class and finished as a top student.

She went on to work as an assistant revisor of statutes before leading that office as head revisor. Governor Rudy Perpich appointed her to the bench in Minnesota’s Tenth Judicial District in 1977, making her the second woman judge in state history. She later served eight years as an associate justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court, becoming the third woman to sit on the court.

Tomljanovich helped create the Minnesota Women Lawyers group, served on the Committee on the Status of Women, and worked to advance equal pay for equal work. She also helped make women a protected class under the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

She and her late husband established a scholarship in her name, and the governor’s proclamation describes her as a mentor to many students and legal professionals, remembered for her humility and her ability to work through complex legal questions.

The governor’s office is encouraging individuals, businesses, and other organizations to lower their flags Tuesday as well.

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