Minnesota

The Minnesota Supreme Court will hear a challenge to a new law that automatically restores voting rights to people convicted of a felony who are still on parole, probation, or supervised release in the state. On March 3, 2023, Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed House File 28 into law. Previously in Minnesota, the state restored voting rights to people convicted of a felony after they completed all aspects of their sentence, including parole or probation. The new law restored voting rights to these individuals upon completion of incarceration, regardless of other conditions of their sentence.

Democratic members of Congress criticized presidential candidate Dean Phillips after he removed the word “diversity” from his campaign website. Phillips’ website renamed a section titled “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” to “Equity & Restorative Justice” on Tuesday, according to Politico. The move drew criticism from fellow Democrats, with one arguing he had been influenced by a $1 million donation from billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.

Justice G. Barry Anderson, the lone remaining Republican appointee on the Minnesota Supreme Court, announced his retirement last week after serving nearly 20 years as one of the state’s top judges. Anderson notified Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday of his decision to step down from the court on May 10. Anderson turns 70 in October, the age of mandatory retirement that’s required by Minnesota statute.

On a Twin Cities radio show earlier this week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz dismissed Republican efforts to keep Minnesota’s current state flag. “Minnesota is a diverse state, it continues to grow. This flag was crafted in the 1890s,” said Gov. Walz regarding Minnesota’s current flag. “It’s highly offensive to a large number of people, and there’s very little debate about that.”

A federal lawsuit filed Monday argues that the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) violated the First Amendment when it abruptly canceled a Christian rehab program. The voluntary program, called “Quest for Authentic Manhood,” was available to inmates at the Minnesota Correctional Facility–St. Cloud thanks to Anthony Schmitt, who taught the program over the course of a decade until it was canceled in 2023.

A last-minute lawsuit filed by residents of a south Minneapolis homeless encampment came up short, clearing the way for the city to move forward with its scheduled eviction Thursday. U.S. District Court Judge Eric Tostrud declined to issue a temporary restraining order Wednesday that would have prevented the city from clearing the encampment at East 23rd Street and 13th Avenue South. That decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Climate Defense Project on behalf of encampment residents, who accused the city of violating their constitutional rights.

In 2024, Minnesota has the highest corporate tax rate in the United States at 9.8%. The National Federation of Independent Business called on state lawmakers to create a tax system that reduces the burden on small business owners.

A Minnesota family is facing an uncertain future as their trial dates move closer in connection to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach. On the latest episode of Liz Collin Reports, Rosemarie Westbury of Lindstrom, Minn., spoke out about the pre-dawn raids that rattled her family’s quiet community as her husband and three sons prepare for their Feb. 12 trial dates.

Two Minnesotans have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against HealthPartners, Regions Hospital, and affiliated healthcare workers relating to the hospital’s protocols for treating COVID-19. The lawsuit claims that these protocols caused the deaths of two patients. Specifically, the civil suit alleges that the plaintiffs’ spouses “were given Remdesivir against their wishes as part of a protocol which actually harmed them; and which protocol has served to financially enrich Health Partners, Inc., and Regions Hospital.”

In a letter from Dec. 19, every Democrat from Minnesota’s congressional delegation asked the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to prioritize aid to Somalia. Citing recent flooding and torrential rains in Somalia, the Democrats asked USAID to “keep aid to Somalia at the forefront of your operations.”

A federal district judge in St. Paul on Wednesday put the brakes on a campaign finance law set to take effect next month that would bar businesses in Minnesota with minimal investment from foreign-based persons or entities from contributing to political campaigns.

The city of Minneapolis has awarded the first funding round for climate action through the Climate Legacy Initiative. Mayor Jacob Frey announced the CLI in July, which aims to fund the city’s climate goals over the next 10 years through increased gas and utility fees. 

A Minnesota woman who was fired for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and then denied unemployment benefits has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her case, arguing that her First Amendment rights were violated. “Religious belief is intimate and differs substantially among Americans. The promise of religious liberty in the First Amendment is that such differences may persist without punishment from the state. That promise is being broken in Minnesota,” James Dickey, senior counsel for the Upper Midwest Law Center, said in a petition filed with the court Monday.

On Tuesday, school board members of Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) unanimously approved a resolution to rename Patrick Henry High School. The new name, Camden High School, will take effect on July 1, 2024. Yusuf Abdullah, the associate superintendent of MPS, said students from Patrick Henry High School were the catalyst for the name change. According to Abdullah, students, citing Patrick Henry’s ownership of slaves, approached him with a desire to replace the name.

Dozens of protesters shut down an Edina School Board meeting Monday night in a show of support for two Edina High School students who were suspended for using an antisemitic chant during a walkout for Palestine Oct. 26. The students were suspended for three days for chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during a student-led walkout in October. Protesters say the students’ First Amendment rights were violated and want the suspensions expunged from the students’ records.