Minnesota

The Home Depot’s request for employee to remove ‘BLM’ letters from apron was justified, 8th Circuit rules

Special circumstances justified the Home Depot’s request for a Minneapolis-area employee to remove the letters “BLM” from his apron three months after the 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, a federal appeals court ruled last week.

Nov 12, 2025 10:44 AM CST

Cozen O’Connor adds 50-plus lawyers through merger in market that is ‘a bit of the best kept secret’

Cozen O’Connor will add more than 50 lawyers after a Jan. 1 merger with Minneapolis law firm Moss & Barnett.

Nov 6, 2025 2:25 PM CST

Move Over, SEO: How law firms can use GEO to stand out in artificial intelligence searches

With the advent of generative artificial intelligence, law firms are focusing less on traditional SEO, or search engine optimization, and more on another catchy new acronym—GEO, which stands for “generative engine optimization.”

Oct 21, 2025 9:22 AM CDT

Name change petition by suspended and retired judge filed ‘with intent to mislead,’ court says

A Minnesota judge who retired after his suspension cannot change his first name to “Judge,” according to a court decision last week.

Oct 20, 2025 2:37 PM CDT

What are a federal judge’s concerns as the government shutdown continues?

As Washington, D.C., appears headed for a lengthy shutdown, Senior U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim of the District of Minnesota warns that federal courthouses will soon be unable to pay employees if government funding isn’t renewed.

Oct 15, 2025 11:12 AM CDT

Presiding over remote court calendar while riding in car among reasons for judge’s suspension

A Minnesota judge was reprimanded and suspended from office without pay for nine months, for abusing his authority in a dispute over his court reporter’s pay and presiding over a remote court calendar from a moving car. But a third allegation concerning bias against noncitizen juveniles was not a factor in the sanction.

Sep 30, 2025 12:03 PM CDT

Professor in court fight over Charlie Kirk post is temporarily reinstated

A federal court on Wednesday temporarily reinstated a University of South Dakota professor who was put on administrative leave after making negative comments on social media about Charlie Kirk on the same day that the conservative activist was shot.

Sep 25, 2025 10:53 AM CDT

MyPillow CEO doesn’t have to pay $5M in ‘Prove Mike Wrong’ election-fraud challenge, 8th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has refused to affirm an arbitration panel decision that awarded $5 million to a software development expert who asserted that he won a “Prove Mike Wrong” election-fraud challenge by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

Jul 28, 2025 3:42 PM CDT

8th Circuit blocks ‘backup theory’ for enforcing Voting Rights Act, leaving private plaintiffs without recourse

A federal appeals court in St. Louis has blocked an alternate path for private plaintiffs in seven states to sue to enforce racial-discrimination protections in Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

May 19, 2025 11:48 AM CDT

Prosecution policy allowing consideration of race in plea deals leads to DOJ probe

A new policy in Hennepin County, Minnesota, that allows prosecutors to consider racial identity in plea deals has led to a probe by the U.S. Department of Justice.

May 6, 2025 8:31 AM CDT

Northern Star: John Choi is leading efforts to redefine justice in Minnesota

When John Choi became the city attorney for St. Paul, Minnesota, he didn’t have much experience with criminal law. “What I found was that a lot of times, the things that happened in these cases didn’t really produce an outcome that I think would have made the public proud,” Choi says.

Feb 1, 2025 1:00 AM CST

What does the future hold for licensed paraprofessionals?

Much has been made of the gigantic access-to-justice gap in this country. One possible way to help bridge the gap is to expand the pool of people eligible to practice law. Of course, that raises age-old concerns about unauthorized practice of law.

Sep 18, 2024 8:49 AM CDT

Nevada green-lights three-pronged plan to licensure

Nevada will move forward on its proposal for a unique three-stage assessment for bar licensure that does not include using the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ new NextGen bar exam—but might include the test being developed by Kaplan Exam Services for the State Bar of California.

Sep 12, 2024 2:24 PM CDT

Attorney with ‘cognitive impairment’ must receive disability pay, court says

An insurance company must provide a Minnesota trademark attorney who was diagnosed with bilateral invasive breast cancer with long-term disability benefits and pay her past-due amounts and attorneys’ fees, a federal court has ruled.

Jul 17, 2024 12:43 PM CDT

Minnesota’s age restriction to carry handguns is unconstitutional, 8th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that Minnesota’s ban preventing residents ages 18 to 20 from carrying handguns in public is unconstitutional, upholding a district-court decision that said the Second Amendment right to bear arms should apply to all adults in the state.

Jul 17, 2024 8:36 AM CDT