Friends and neighbors,
In recent weeks, Minnesotans have seen two court decisions that struck down major laws Democrats passed when they held total control of state government. These rulings show what happens when leaders care more about power than about following the constitution, respecting rules, or working with others.
The first decision was handed down by Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro, who ruled that Democrats violated the Minnesota Constitution when they included a ban on binary trigger devices in a 1,400-page omnibus “tax” bill during the final hours of the 2024 session. The provision was a violation of the single-subject clause of our constitution, which clearly says bills must stick to one topic.
It may not sound like a big deal, but the single-subject rule is important. It exists to stop exactly the sort of abuse by power-mad politicians that we witnessed on that last night of session. It keeps your elected officials accountable and gives Minnesotans a chance to know what their representatives are voting on.
Judge Castro, who was appointed by Democrat Gov. Mark Dayton, sharply rebuked the Democrats for how they governed. “But make no mistake, during the late hours of May 19, 2024, lawmaking did ‘not occur within the framework of the Constitution,” he wrote of their monster omnibus bill. “The Court respectfully suggests that if there has ever been a bill without a common theme and where ‘all bounds of reason and restraint seem to have been abandoned’, this is it; and if there has ever been a time for the ‘draconian result of invalidating the entire law’, that time is now.”
Judge Castro was also clear in his ruling that the trigger ban is just the first domino. The door is wide open to future challenges against other provisions in the bill on similar constitutional grounds.
The second ruling was issued by U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel, who overturned a law Democrats passed in 2023 that blocked religious colleges from participating in Minnesota’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program if they asked students to sign a faith statement.
Crown College and the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, two long-time providers of PSEO, had been cut out of the program by that law. Judge Brasel ruled that the change violated both the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Minnesota’s Freedom of Conscience Clause.
The ruling restores freedom of choice for families and students and ensures that religious institutions cannot be excluded because of what they believe. Faith-based schools can once again welcome high school students who want to earn college credit in an environment that aligns with their values.
These two rulings confirm what anyone who paid attention during those years already knows: Democrats went too far when they had total control of state government. They stalled, delayed, and scrambled to pass their agenda at the last minute. They silenced the voices of half of Minnesota and forced votes on bills that nobody had time to read and understand. They ignored the Constitution, ignored the rules that govern the legislature, and abandoned transparency. All they cared about was pursuing their radical agenda at all costs.
I want to say a special word of thanks to the organizations who fought, and prevailed in, the uphill battle against these unconstitutional bills. The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus and the Upper Midwest Law Center worked on the binary trigger case. Crown College, the University of Northwestern -- St. Paul, and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty worked on the PSEO case. These groups deserve our gratitude for protecting our freedom.
These recent decisions should serve as a reminder that government works best when it is accountable, when the rules are followed, when we work together, and when leaders put the people of Minnesota above their own power.
Sincerely,
