The Minnesota State Supreme Court quickly ruled Friday, after hearing arguments on Thursday, and has sided with the House DFL Caucus and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. The court has ruled that according to the State Constitution, 68 House members are needed for floor action. 68 would be the majority of the body.
The ruling will likely push the GOP and DFL back to the table for power-sharing discussions. Currently, the Republicans have a one-seat majority of 67-66, but an upcoming special election will most likely end up in DFL hands making it a 67-67 tie in the House.
"The quorom clause in Article IV, Section 13, of the Minnesota Constitution, requires a majority of the total number of seats of which each house may consist to constitute a quorum," ruled the Supreme Court. "Because the current statute, the total number of seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives is 134, a qourom is 69 members."
WCCO political analyst Blois Olson says the burden for figuring out what is next now falls to House leadership again, Speaker-designate Melissa Hortman (DFL- Brooklyn Park) and Speaker-designate Lisa Demuth (R- Cold Spring).
"Republicans have only had 67 members, which means they didn't have quorum and therefore they did not have the legal ability to organize the way they did," says Olson. "What does this actually mean? It means that DFLers and Republicans in the Minnesota House, Melissa Hortman and Lisa Demuth, essentially have to find a way to have a power sharing deal."
Olson says it's not clear if Republicans will still try to meet until the vacancy in a Roseville district is filled as it waits for a special election, likely happening n March. Olson also says he doesn't believe Democrats will return and give a quorum until a power sharing agreement is in place.
"I think that the divide that they've had the last two weeks, three weeks, has only made that chasm grow deeper and probably more tense," says Olson. "So we're going to have to wait and see."