Summons delivery proper under state law, 8th Circuit says

One peculiarity of the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision to remove Rep. Kerry Gauthier’s name from next month’s general election ballot was that Justice David Stras opted not to participate in the case.

In Republican state party chair Tony Sutton's view, the alleged failure of local election officials to properly reconcile the number of ballots cast with the numbers of voters who signed in at polling places may have resulted in "tens of thousands" of improperly counted ballots. They could prove crucial in a contest that Republican Tom Emmer currently trails by nearly 9,000 votes as it heads for a recount.

Lorie Gildea was elevated from associate justice to chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday, and University of Minnesota Law School professor David Stras was nominated to her seat.

A quick links backgrounder on the man Gov. Tim Pawlenty has appointed to the vacant seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

After conducting final interviews on Wednesday, Pawlenty chose Justice Gildea over two other current justices to be the court's new chief justice.