The Minnesota Supreme Court on Friday required the Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton “to participate in good-faith efforts to resolve this dispute through mediation.” The court also asked for briefs on “the constitutionality of Judicial Branch ordering funding to the Legislature” and exactly when will the House and Senate exhaust their carryover funds.
While the court stated, “based on the plain language of…the Minnesota Constitution, we hold that the Governor’s exercise of his line-item veto… was constitutional,” in the next sentence they wrote, “This conclusion does not however end the matter.”
Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, made this point clear in ordering mediation. “Prior to Judicial Branch vindication of the people’s constitutional right to three independent, functioning branches of government, the other Branches should have the opportunity to resolve this dispute.” Read the 6-page order
Learn more on reactions to the order
The parties are to appoint a mediator by Tuesday. Should they fail to do so, the court will appoint one for them. On or before Sept. 30 they are to report to the court the status of the efforts and a date by which mediation will be concluded.
The dispute began with the Governor’s May 30 veto message to the Legislature where he raised five major objections to sections of bills or whole bills. Teacher licensure is one of the five areas and he insisted that the Teacher Licensure provisions in HF 2 be re-opened and re-negotiated.
“While I support improving Minnesota’s system of teacher licensure, some provisions undermine the high professional standards that have served Minnesota’s schoolchildren extremely well,” the Governor stated in his message.
The other areas were reductions in the tobacco taxes, estate taxes and C-I property taxes and the language prohibiting undocumented immigrants and their ability to obtain drivers’ licenses—which he argued is redundant. Read the veto message
