Governor Mark Dayton is appointing D-F-L State Representative and former House Speaker Paul Thissen to the open seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court created by the departure of Associate Justice David Stras for the federal appeals bench. Thissen says he’s moving from policymaking to what he terms “principled interpretation of the law…. To promote fairness, to advance individual dignity and rights, to make sure that we’re accountable to each other and that the institutions that are supposed to serve us are accountable to us and — perhaps most importantly — to make sure that every single person’s voice is heard.” Thissen says his rulings on the high court will demonstrate he’s not a judicial activist.