Minnesota Lawyer

A nearly universally recognized gesture has handed the U.S. Supreme Court an opportunity to expand — or restrict — the rights of students and perhaps employees engaged in commentary on social media.

Normally, appellate courts decide the issues that are brought to them. But there is a notable exception when jurisdiction is involved.

The recent occurrence of International Workers Day, a version of Labor Day, provides an opportune occasion to review the two proceedings that bolster the rights of working men and women.

The death in mid-February of talk show broadcaster Rush Limbaugh, at age 70, evokes the lore of libel here in Minnesota. Another luminary who preceded him in death by a week, Hustler magazine founder, Larry Flynt, adds to that legacy.

For those of us who practice in both state and federal court, the access to state court records has been a source of frustration ranging between mild and extreme.

For more than 50 years, the Minnesota Supreme Court has succeeded in maintaining an excellent professional responsibility system. Public participation and accountability have been essential system components.

Last week’s occurrence of April Fool’s Day was a day for shenanigans and a reminder that of some of the jokes and pranks that have ended up in litigation in the federal and state courts in Minnesota.

The question employers have pondered for some time is ripe for decision: Can employers require their employees to get vaccinated?

Last year ended as the Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals in a firearm case, and this year began with a bang with a pair of additional gun-related matters pending before that tribunal.

With Friday's State v. Chauvin ruling, there will be ripples in the fabric of appellate and trial law caused by the clear declaration that when the Court of Appeals designates its opinion to be precedent, it is immediately binding.