Minnesota Supreme Court rules in favor of Democrats in House quorum dispute

The Minnesota Supreme Court has made a ruling in a much-discussed quorum dispute that determines the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

On Friday, the Supreme Court stated that a quorum requires a majority of the total number of seats of each house and that vacancies do not reduce the number required for a majority of each house to constitute a quorum.

They said that in the Minnesota House of Representatives, a quorum, as according to the Minnesota Constitution, based on the current total number of seats is 68. The total number of seats in the House of Representatives is 134.

The Supreme Court said that they “assume the parties will now conform to this order without the necessity of issuing a formal writ.”

This comes after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday from both sides on how many members are required to conduct official business.

Democrats said the Minnesota Constitution designates a quorum as a “static” 68 members. Republicans, who have 67 seated members, say their one-seat majority empowers them to conduct business on the House floor — including electing Rep. Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, as House speaker.

Republicans also argued it’s not the place of the judiciary or the executive branch to tell legislators how to organize.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision:

“I thank the court for its promptness and clarity in this case. This was a closely contested legal issue, and for the first time in state history we now have a final answer on what constitutes a legislative quorum. I appreciate that the Justices agreed with this Office that 68 members were necessary for the House to conduct business on January 14. I look forward to re-convening the House of Representatives – and to working with an organized legislature to advance the interests of all Minnesotans.”