MN Supreme Court Hears Arguments On “Quorums” and House Power Struggle

ST. PAUL (KVRR/AP) — Minnesota Supreme Court hears arguments on a power struggle between Democrats and Republicans over who should control the state House.

The battle is over the definition of a quorum.

Democratic representatives have stayed away in an effort to prevent the House from getting the quorum that it needs to conduct normal business.

Republicans claim they already have a quorum and have pressed forward with electing their top leader as speaker, introducing legislation and holding hearings.

They have a 67-66 advantage until a special election is held in March for a seat in a strong Democrat-leaning district.

Chief Justice Natalie Hudson says it seemed to her like the Democrats’ reading of the quorum language in the state constitution “is certainly a reasonable one.

But she added that it also seemed to her that the GOP position “is at least equally reasonable.”

“If this isn’t a case where there is an urgency, um as we’ve talked about in some of our case law to step in, what would be? Because what we have is a co-equal branch of government that is completely dysfunctional,” said Hudson.

The court will now take the matter under consideration and will issue its opinion soon.