Washington, D.C. – The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) will posthumously honor Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman with the 2025 Courageous Leader Award.
The Courageous Leader Award is presented to trailblazers who model the commitment and courage it takes to advance meaningful and lasting racial equity and justice in America. It honors advocates who show the courage and determination needed to create lasting change.
“Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman embodied the spirit of a courageous leader,” said April Frazier Camara, President and CEO of NLADA. “From her work in Legal Aid to her historic role as Speaker, she used every platform to advance justice and equity. We are proud to honor her legacy with the Courageous Leader Award.”
Hortman began her career as a housing attorney at Central Minnesota Legal Services, representing families facing unsafe housing conditions. In one case, she pursued justice for an African American mother and her children whose landlord harassed them and denied basic repairs while treating white tenants differently. The jury awarded the largest verdict for housing discrimination for a single family in Minnesota history.
Hortman later moved from law practice to public service. First elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2004 after two earlier campaigns, she served for 19 years, including seven as Speaker of the House, the longest tenure of any woman in state history.
As Speaker, Hortman helped pass key policies for Minnesota families, including paid family and medical leave, universal free school meals, an expanded child tax credit, and increased funding for early childhood programs. She also advanced legislation to establish Minnesota’s 100 percent clean electricity standard by 2040.
Her work included justice reforms. After the murder of George Floyd, she worked across the aisle to enact police accountability measures. In 2023, she supported passage of the Restore the Vote Act, which restored voting rights to Minnesotans completing felony sentences. She also supported gun violence prevention initiatives.
After the 2024 election left the Minnesota House evenly divided, she negotiated a bipartisan power-sharing agreement that allowed Representative Lisa Demuth to become the state’s first African American Speaker.
“Speaker Emerita Hortman was a strong leader and a committed public servant,” said Ron Elwood, Supervising Attorney at the Legal Services Advocacy Project. “Her legislative skill was matched by her concern for low-income individuals and families. She worked to improve life for Legal Aid’s clients, her constituents, and Minnesotans across the state.”
Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their family dog Gilbert were killed on June 14, 2025, in an act of political violence.
NLADA honors her life and career with the 2025 Courageous Leader Award. Her family will attend in person to accept the award on her behalf.
About the Courageous Leader Award
The NLADA Courageous Leader Award was established in 2021 with the launch of the NLADA Racial Equity Initiative, which builds resources and capacity within the NLADA community to advance anti-racist practices and dismantle racial inequities in the United States.
Previous recipients include Dr. Danette Howard (University of Southern California Race and Equity Center), Malcolm Jenkins (former National Football League player), the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, Leander Dolphin (managing partner, Shipman & Goodwin), Dr. Marvin Carr (Walmart.org Center for Racial Equity), and NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., a Risk Retention Group.
Hortman will be honored at the 2025 Courageous Leaders Awards celebration on October 31, 2025, during the NLADA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.
Media contact: Rabiah A. Burks, [email protected].
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The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), founded in 1911, is America's oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. NLADA has pioneered access to justice at the national, state, and local levels, playing a leadership role in the creation of public defender systems and other important institutions from The Sentencing Project to the Legal Services Corporation. A leader in the development of national standards for civil legal aid and public defense, NLADA also provides advocacy, training, and technical assistance for equal justice advocates across the country.
NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., RRG
