ST. PAUL, Minn. — In the midst of a contentious legislative session, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and House Democrats have requested intervention from the state’s highest court amid a power struggle that has extended into the second day of the 2025 legislative session.
Simon, representing the Democratic Party, filed a petition with the Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday, asserting that he should continue as the presiding officer of the House despite the election of GOP leader Lisa Demuth as speaker. Simon’s stance is that a quorum of 68 members is necessary for any official business to occur in the House. His legal team emphasized in their filing that without a legitimate quorum on January 14, Demuth’s election as speaker is invalid, and until a quorum is achieved, Simon remains the presiding officer of the House.
In response to the situation, House Democrats chose to boycott the session’s opening day as a strategy to prevent Republicans from securing a quorum needed to push through their agenda. On that same day, they, too, petitioned the Supreme Court, seeking to block any legislative actions until at least 68 members are present. They have claimed that any business conducted without this quorum should be considered “null and void” and lacking legitimate authority.
Lisa Demuth condemned the legal actions as infringements on the constitutional separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. In her statement, she underscored that Simon, as a member of the executive branch, has no jurisdiction over House activities and that his role is typically of a ceremonial nature.
The Republicans assert that only 67 members are required for a quorum, citing the absence of one seat. The timeline for a ruling from the Supreme Court remains uncertain, as GOP House leader Harry Niska indicated that official responses from Republicans will be forthcoming once a formal schedule is issued by the court. He expressed confidence that the courts wouldn’t interfere in the legislative process, similar to the executive branch’s limitations on legislative operations.
The primary aim of the current legislative session is to establish a balanced two-year budget by July 1, which will necessitate collaboration across party lines. Both sides recognize that functioning under their rules mandates achieving 68 votes to pass any significant bills. Meanwhile, Democratic Governor Tim Walz is set to unveil his budget proposal on Thursday.
On Wednesday, as the House Republicans convened to conduct standard business operations like electing the chief clerk, all seats on the Democratic side remained empty. Following the November elections, the House is split evenly at 67-67. Leaders from both parties had initiated discussions for a power-sharing agreement, expecting a balanced scenario. However, a prior court ruling deemed newly elected Democrat Curtis Johnson ineligible because he did not meet residency requirements, granting Republicans a temporary advantage of 67-66 until a special election can be held on January 28. Given that the district is predominantly Democratic, this upcoming election is likely to restore the tie.
Democrats are particularly alarmed about threats from Republicans to utilize their temporary majority to prevent seating Democrat Rep. Brad Tabke of Shakopee, who won his election by a mere 14 votes. A court previously ruled in favor of Tabke, affirming him as the legitimate winner and dismissing a GOP request for a special election in his competitive district.
Attempts to renegotiate a power-sharing agreement in the House fell short, with top Democrat Melissa Hortman indicating that Demuth was noncommittal about allowing Tabke to retain his seat, despite suggesting a deal that would enable Demuth to serve as speaker throughout the session.
Additionally, GOP lawyers have requested the Supreme Court to nullify Walz’s decision to set the date of January 28 for the special election in Roseville, arguing that he acted prematurely because the seat was not officially vacant until the Legislature reconvened. However, Assistant Attorney General Nathan Hartshorn argued that the seat became vacant on December 27 following the court’s decision and Johnson’s acquiescence to the ruling. He asserted the governor’s actions to expedite the filling of the seat were lawful.
The justices acknowledged the interconnected nature of the disputes and assured that a decision would be delivered promptly.
