Good morning, and happy Tuesday.
Weeks after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a Minnesota judge went the other way, and threw out several restrictions on abortion in Minnesota. MPR’s Matt Sepic and Michelle Wiley have the story: Judge Thomas Gilligan ordered state officials to stop enforcing the restrictions, including Minnesota’s informed consent law, the two-parent notification law, the requirement that only physicians perform abortions and the requirement that abortions after the first trimester be performed in a hospital. He also struck down felony penalties for abortion providers who run afoul of state regulations, as well as laws that require providers to inform pregnant women of the procedure's "particular medical risks." Gilligan wrote that the laws "violate the right to privacy because they infringe upon the fundamental right under the Minnesota Constitution to access abortion care."
Attorney General Keith Ellison has 60 days to appeal the case. Ellison's office was charged with defending the restrictions in court, even though he said he personally does not agree with them. "Look, I make no secret about it. I believe in a woman's right to choose. I also have the duty to defend Minnesota statutes. Both of those are my jobs at the same time,” Ellison said Monday afternoon. “We're going to take a good, strong look at the decision, but at this time I don't have anything to announce." One of Ellison’s opponents, Republican endorsed attorney general candidate Jim Schultz, said the decision represented “judicial activism at its finest” and far-left jurisprudence. He blamed Ellison for losing the case and said the decision “absolutely” should be appealed. "It must be appealed,” Schultz said. “These are statutes that have been passed in a bipartisan manner by Minnesotans and this absolutely should be appealed. And I'm very confident it will be overturned."
Speaking of Schultz and Ellison, the two also sparred long-distance over public safety.MPR’s Brian Bakst reports: Events held hours apart allowed the incumbent and his GOP-endorsed rival to stake out their positions. Schultz put the emphasis on tougher penalties and more aggressive prosecution; Ellison said restricting access to guns would reduce violent crime. Schultz said at a Capitol news conference that he would shift dozens of lawyers from regulatory assignments to criminal prosecution if he takes over the attorney general’s office next year. The office has long made consumer protection and civil enforcement its main focus. But Schultz said not all of those duties are as worthwhile at a time when public safety concerns are increasing. “When it bleeds into the harassment of Minnesota businesses, what we have to do is have the right priorities. And I’ll tell you it is not harassing Minnesota businesses,” Schultz said. “The right priorities are dealing with the crime taking the lives of the sons and daughters of Minnesota.” Ellison has asked the Legislature for more funding for lawyers who assist counties or do other work in the criminal prosecution realm, but that request stalled amid a budget dispute this year. He said those nine additional attorneys are needed to help counties that seek it, to handle appeals and to work on matters related to civil commitment of sex offenders. “I don't blame my opponent for not knowing because he's never done criminal defense. He's never done even a trial, never even stepped into court,” Ellison said. “So I don't blame him for not knowing what he's talking about.”
About 100 people turned out Monday evening for a forum about crime and public safety near the University of Minnesota campus. The Star Tribune reports: A few people shouted questions at the speakers, gathered in a small auditorium classroom. A mother holding a framed picture of her son, spoke loudly of her frustrations with police, saying they have failed to solve her son's death in December 2013. Brian Peck, a board member of the new group Campus Safety Coalition, was one of the first to address the panel of city and U leaders. "Our number one objective is to make the University of Minnesota safe again," Peck said.
A day after reporting that Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson faces an investigation over a series of allegedly racist and homophobic text messages, FOX 9 reports that Hutchinson racked up $17,588 in expenses on a taxpayer funded credit card. Tom Lyden reports that a person familiar with the use of purchase cards by former Hennepin County Sheriffs Rich Stanek and Mike McGowen said Hutchinson’s expenses are "extreme, and questionable on its face." Reached by phone Thursday, Hutchinson said he was aware the county had been reviewing his purchases. "If they want to nickel and dime me for coffee, let them," he said before hanging up. | 