As Democrats continue to boycott, the Minnesota high court will hear arguments Thursday over whether House Republicans have a quorum with 67 members, or if 68 members are needed to hold sessions

With accusations flying over which party is ignoring state law, the fight to control the Minnesota House is shifting from lawmakers to lawyers. DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon is calling on the Minnesota Supreme Court to weigh in on who has what power.

The debate over whether Minnesota House Republicans acted lawfully when they elected a speaker is headed to the state Supreme Court. Democratic-Farmer-Labor Secretary of State Steve Simon and the House DFL have filed lawsuits to stop Republicans from taking control of the House for the next two years,

Minnesota Sec. of State Steve Simon is addressing leaders of the Minnesota House of Representatives ahead of what could be a sour start to the session, saying Republicans, with 67 seats, don’t have the necessary number needed in state constitution.

Simon’s opinion comes while Democrats are threatening a no-show if Republicans do not agree to a power-sharing agreement.

Democrats purport to be obsessed with threats to “democracy,” but they tend to go into full obstruction mode when democracy actually threatens to break out. We have seen that over the last week, as US Senate Democrats grilled Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and repeatedly demanded the extent to which they’ll defy the duly elected commander-in-chief.

While Minnesota House Republicans hold a one-seat majority right now, a special election later this month should put the state House in an even political split. State Democrats called the move to elect a Republican speaker in the meantime unconstitutional.

The Minnesota Supreme Court hears oral arguments Thursday over the temporary control of the Minnesota House. Here’s how a political fight ended up in front of the high court and what’s at stake.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon waits to be called before the session begins on the first day of the 94th legislative session at the Minnesota State Capitol Building in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer. The ...

Minnesota's House Democrats boycotted the opening session of 2025 to prevent Republicans from using a temporary majority to elect a speaker.

Labor lawmakers in control of state government moved swiftly to enact their agenda. But with the return of divided government this year, the 2025 legislative session’s first big hurdle will be in court.

Steve Simon and House Democrats are asking for the Minnesota Supreme Court to rule on the issues surrounding Tuesday's actions on the House floor.