Leaning toward justice

Sept. 30, 2026 | Every day the staff at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid puts their faith to the test — a faith in the “rule of law.” While all lawyers and judges regularly bear witness to the “rule of law,” at Legal Aid we don’t just believe in it — we count on it.

Without it, our struggling clients have few options, no leverage against those with power, and must deal with questions of life and death. Little surprise, then, that the “rule of law” is of transcendent importance in our line of work. Today, we’re watching it erode before our eyes. It can be as clear-cut as a constitutional right snatched away, or a legal norm blithely ignored. But it’s more often a slow and steady backsliding away from fundamental rights and protections, and a quiet but steady dismantling of systems and policies our clients count on. It’s an acceleration in the re-norming of expectations about what is fair and just, pulling the rug out from under those who most need them. It’s a crumbling of the wall of legal rights and protections (never too high to begin with) built over many generations. It’s a rewiring of the treatment of the poor and vulnerable within these systems by our policymakers and those in power.

If you care about due process, civil rights, and the health, safety, and welfare of all Minnesotans (and I know you do), then you must care about what’s happening to the “rule of law” in the lives of our clients. Challenges to their well-being in attempts to take away their health care, housing, and security are not going away soon. And in the coming weeks you’ll hear more about what Legal Aid is doing, with your help, to not only push back but to rebuild the “rule of law” better than ever — and all that means for Minnesota’s struggling families, immigrants, people with disabilities, seniors, and so many more. I look forward to having you join us.

-Milo Mumgaard, Executive Director