MinnLawyer Blog

The Children’s Justice Initiative has formed a workgroup to make recommendations to the Judicial Council concerning representation of parents in child abuse cases, now that the Board of Public Defense has said that defenders will no longer represent them. The CJI Parent Representation Workgroup, chaired by Justice Helen Meyer, will hold its first meeting Aug. [...]

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The Minnesota Legislature has yet to reach a consensus on things like reducing health care costs, providing property tax relief… and oh yeah… plugging that $935 million budget hole.
But on the bright side — the white, porcelain bright side — Tim Nelson over at MPR’s News Cut blog reports that lawmakers in the House and [...]

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Legislation that would enable surrogacy contracts has been heard in committee in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and is expected to go to the governor this session. That’s the word from Maple Grove attorney Glen Norton, the legislative chair for the Minnesota State Bar Association Family Law Section. The MSBA General Assembly [...]

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Minneapolis attorney Erick Kaardal announced a press conference today at 2:00 p.m. at the State Capitol Rotunda for his client Citizens for Rule of Law. The lawsuit, filed today, seeks to stop “per diem” overcompensation to individual state legislators as a violation of the state and federal constitutions, according to a press release sent out [...]

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A St. Paul Pioneer Press poll reports the unsurprising news that Minnesotans don’t want to be disenfranchised from selecting judges. It also found that Minnesotans would favor switching to a retention-election system, which is consistent with the recommendation of the Quie Commission’s majority.
A retention system has also received a qualified endorsement from the Minnesota State [...]

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The Minnesota Legislature passed its budget bills before adjourning but they still could be vetoed by the governor. If the courts have to intervene in order to keep the state operating, the purview of their power isn’t clear under State ex rel. Sviggum v. Hanson, issued by the Court of Appeals today.
At least that’s the [...]

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The Strib has an update on the good-faith insurance bill that allows direct actions against insurers and creates a cause of action against insurers who deny benefits without a reasonable basis.
Through an amazing act of legislative prestidigitation, the insurance bill was attached to a $2 billion public safety bill. Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is against [...]

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The Strib has a good article on its website about the dispute between the trial lawyers’ and insurance lobby over a bill that would allow direct actions and bad-faith claims against insurers. (Bill pits lawyers against insurers.)
I should be annoyed at the Strib for doing it because we had something similar on the drawing board [...]

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