Associate Justice Theodora Gaitas of the Minnesota Supreme Court

 

6/24/2025

Associate Justice Theodora Gaitas

c/o Minnesota Supreme Court

Minnesota Judicial Center

25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

St. Paul, MN  55155

Dear Associate Justice Gaitas,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history, social justice, and criminal justice reform. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, expand on social justice to improve communities, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. Associate Justice Gaitas, the main reason why I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work when you served as Judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals and as current Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court to be very inspiring to me. 

When you served as Judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals from 2020-2024, I truly appreciated on how you are a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for rights of people with disabilities, supporting strict sentencing for people who commit hate crimes, and expressing the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination. Supporting dug treatment programs to help drug users get the care they need to reduce drug abuse, working to expand court resources to help victims of crime or people to get help on different services including help on dealing with trauma, and heavily supporting along with advocating for the need for funds to improve DNA testings including forensic sciences to help solve evidence or cases efficiently while reduce sending an innocent person to jail is common sense for criminal justice reform. Also on criminal justice reform, I like on how you address the need for better mental health services  to help people with a mental illness or who struggle with it to get help instead of strict sentencing and express the importance of reducing judicial misconduct or police misconduct to reduce corruption in the criminal justice system.  In your current role as Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, I like on how you are a continuous strong supporter of civil rights including rights of people with disabilities and criminal justice reform. Another thing that I like about your work in the Minnesota Supreme Court is how you support protecting civil liberties like the 4th amendment to help protect people from unreasonable searches including the 6th amendment to know what the person is accused of a crime or know what evidence is against the accused.  Also I like on how you are an advocate of protecting voter’s rights from oppressions, express the need for ethics reform to reduce judicial or police misconduct in order to reduce corruption.

Associate Justice Gaitas, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advanced subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts in different settings, and get teased. Also with my disability I have face some forms of discrimination in public places including settings due to having a disability. Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Your role as former Judge of the Minnesota Court of Appeals and as current Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court   helps give me motivation to continue to learn history, social justice, criminal justice reform, and ethics reform.  My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. Also in June 2025, I enjoyed visiting Saint Paul/Minneapolis Minnesota where I got to explore the Minnesota State Capitol to learn history including some of the history of Governors along with justices of Minnesota, visit the Minnesota History Center to learn history of the state, and visit the George Floyd Memorial.  I had a great time on my trip and I enjoy learning a little bit about you. 

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference in the judicial system.  I’m very proud on how you are working hard to support civil rights, expand on ethics reform, push along with advocate for criminal justice reform. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn more about your work, and continue to learn different subjects. Also I really had a great time visiting St. Paul/Minneapolis. Here is a picture of me in front of the Minnesota State Capitol for you to keep as a gift for inspiring me. If I visit St. Paul Minnesota again I would like to meet you and take a tour of the Minnesota Judicial Center because you inspire me. thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to advocate for common sense ideas to help improve our country including the judicial system.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick