Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton on Friday announced the appointment of Court of Appeals Judge Margaret H. Chutich as associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, making her the state's first openly gay Supreme Court justice.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Dayton, a Democrat, appointed Chutich to her position in 2012.

“It is important that the court reflect the community it serves, and I also think symbolism is very important,” Chutich said. “If there are gay attorneys, gay people thinking about going to law school, I think it's important that they know there aren't barriers to their dreams.”

Dayton is a strong supporter of LGBT rights.

In 2013, he signed a marriage bill into law on the front steps of the Capitol in St. Paul that made Minnesota the 12th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Two years later, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws and constitutional amendments that exclude gay couples from marriage.