MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court sided with Democrats on Friday in a power struggle with Republicans that the chief justice said had left the state House of Representatives “completely dysfunctional.”
The justices agreed with House Democratic leaders who argued that a quorum in the House was 68 members under the state constitution, not the 67 that Republicans claimed. The House GOP holds a 67-66 majority pending a special election to fill an empty seat that’s expected around March 11. House Democrats have stayed away from the Capitol all session to try to prevent Republicans from exploiting their advantage.
House Democratic leaders had expressed hope before the ruling that a win for them would incentivize their GOP counterparts to negotiate a power-sharing agreement similar to one that they agreed to after the November election when it looked like the House would be tied 67-67 when the Legislature convened its 2025 session Jan. 14.
That agreement collapsed after a Ramsey County judge ruled that the Democratic winner of a Roseville-area seat didn’t live in his district and was ineligible. That gave Republicans a temporary one-seat majority. The eventual special election to fill the seat is expected to restore the tie because it’s a heavily Democratic district. In the meantime, Republicans have pressed forward with electing their top leader as speaker, introducing legislation and holding hearings.
Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press
