A partisan power struggle has paralyzed the Minnesota House of Representatives as Democrats boycott legislative sessions to prevent Republicans from exploiting their temporary one-seat majority. The standoff stems from a contested election and a delayed special election, leaving the House in limbo. The Minnesota Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether it should intervene in the dispute, with Democrats arguing for a higher quorum and Republicans maintaining their majority is sufficient.
Roughly half of the Minnesota House seats remain empty as Democrats fail to show up after the legislative session gaveled in on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in St. Paul, Minnesota. ST. PAUL, Minn.
Gov. Tim Walz initially called the special election for Jan. 28, which would have limited the standoff to about two weeks. But the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Democratic governor set the date too early because the seat, vacated by a retiring lawmaker, didn’t officially become open until the Legislature convened last Tuesday. Walz said Friday that he’d probably reschedule it for early March, at least seven weeks away, the earliest he could under the law.
The state’s highest court will tackle the broader dispute Thursday when it hears oral arguments on petitions by Democrats to declare that a quorum under the state constitution and other rules is 68 members present — a majority of the seats — and that everything the GOP has done since convening last week is legally invalid. House Republicans argue that the required quorum for the House to organize itself, elect a speaker and appoint committees is just 67 — a majority of current members.
The professor predicted that the high court “more likely than not” will rule that the House lacks a quorum. He said the justices also could — and he thinks should — decide both sides’ hands are dirty and decline to step in. But House Democrats reaffirmed Tuesday that they’re ready to stay away until Republicans agree to go back to the previous power-sharing deal and, crucially, promise not to try to unseat Democratic Rep. Brad Tabke, who won a seat by just 14 votes in a swing district where the GOP would stand a good chance of winning a low-turnout special election. Republicans have refused to give that assurance, even though a Scott County judge declared Tabke the legal winner last week.
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