New Chief Justice takes oath

The 57-year-old Magnuson took the oath at St. Paul's Landmark Center in front of scores of state and federal judges past and present. Magnuson said the day was not for his vision of state's judiciary because that vision was evolving. Instead, he remembered friends and family he said helped him along the way.

"My mother and father did not live to see this day but left me with a legacy of achievement and service," Magnuson told the crowd. "Dad would have smiled a little bit on the outside, he was Norwegian, he would have beamed on the inside. My mother on the other hand would have been walking up to strangers in restaurants telling them about my new job."

Magnuson is the first chief to head the state's highest court without state Supreme Court experience in more than 70 years. He is considered, however, a national expert on appellate law. He's also Gov. Tim Pawlenty's fourth appointment to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which means the governor now has appointed a majority of the court.

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