Good morning, and happy Thursday.
Minnesota’s courts are changing their rules to allow more audio and visual coverage of cases, under an order issued Wednesday. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports: The rule change was made in an order from the state Supreme Court. Starting in January, it will open up more avenues to cameras and other recording options in criminal cases, including live streaming. Judges will be able to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to allow the audio-visual coverage without consent of the participating parties in the case. There would still be restrictions on jury selection, certain witness testimony and if coverage would expose someone to harm or intimidation. Chief Justice Lorie Gildea says in her order that the change will create some challenges, but she wrote that the public good would outweigh them. The rules, she wrote, “will promote transparency and confidence in the basic fairness that is an essential component of our system of justice in Minnesota and protect the constitutional rights and safety of all participants in criminal proceedings in the state.” Gildea wrote that even with the modifications, Minnesota’s rules “will remain more restrictive than many other states.” In a dissent, Justice Ann McKeig says it could make life harder for people sharing embarrassing or sensitive details in testimony. She also questioned the ability of courts in smaller counties to accommodate the change, although the rule provides exceptions where security issues or courthouse facility limitations “would render coverage impractical.”
A new report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor faults the Metropolitan Council for delays and cost overruns on the Southwest Light Rail Transit line. MPR’s Tim Nelson reports: “The Metropolitan Council obligated funds it did not have, did not develop a contingency plan if the funds did not materialize, and was not fully transparent about project costs and delays” in connection with the Southwest Light Rail project, the Office of the Legislative Auditor wrote in the report released Wednesday. The report is part of series examining various aspects of the project to build a 14.5-mile light rail line linking downtown Minneapolis with Eden Prairie. The auditor’s report stated that the Met Council committed to spending more money than the project had; solicited bids with incomplete project plans; added “substantial new or changed work” after bidding was complete; and didn't provide enough accountability for cost and schedule changes. The report found that even with the cost increases, Southwest Light Rail “is still comparable to other light rail projects nationally on a cost-per-mile basis. However, its cost increases since starting construction are far greater than those experienced by most other projects.”
One of the authors of legislation that legalized hemp-derived THC products is going into the hemp-derived THC business. The Minnesota Reformer has the story: Former DFL House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler is starting a THC beverage company after playing a key role in the passage of the law that legalized the THC edible industry. Within the next few months, Winkler plans to launch Crooked Beverage Company — a business venture that sells THC-infused, flavored beverages in retail locations. Last year, the Legislature passed a bill legalizing the sale of low-dose THC food and beverages to people over 21, and it was largely unnoticed by the public until the day before it went into effect on July 1. Winkler told the Reformer he had no intentions of starting a company last year when he led the effort to legalize low-dose THC products. He only decided to go into the THC beverage business after he lost the primary election for Hennepin County attorney last August. “I’d hoped to be Hennepin County attorney and focused on public safety. I had no thought of being in business until the voters decided otherwise for me and I looked for other opportunities,” Winkler said.
Some lawmakers want the state to expand and eventually adopt ranked-choice voting. The Star Tribune has a story: "Ranked-choice voting is tried and tested," said Jeanne Massey, executive director of FairVote Minnesota, a nonprofit that has spent nearly two decades pushing for broader use of the system. "The benefits of ranked-choice voting are not theoretical. It is one of the most effective ways to put a big dent in the division and disinformation that is undermining our democracy." When voters rank candidates in order of preference, proponents argue, extreme candidates are penalized and coalition builders elevated. Proposals moving in the DFL-controlled House and Senate would open the door for more cities to use ranked choice in 2024 and implement a task force to recommend no later than 2027 how to implement the system for statewide, federal and legislative races. Opponents of the voting method say the results have been mixed in Minnesota and across the country. Alaska and Maine use ranked-choice on a larger scale, along with some cities in other states. Republican lawmakers argue that the system is confusing and would diminish election confidence in a state where voters regularly turn out in record numbers. A spokesperson for the Minnesota Secretary of State's office said Wednesday that the state "is not yet ready for statewide ranked choice voting."
Holocaust survivors and their relatives spoke in support of a bill Wednesday that requires Minnesota schools to teach about the Holocaust. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports Dora Zaidenweber, a 99-year-old Holocaust survivor, told the panel that much of what spurred the Holocaust was a lack of education and empathy. "Everyone in Minnesota should have a knowledge of the dangers of what murder, mass murder can have, that mass murder can happen,” Zaidenweber said. "And that people have to understand, to learn to live with each other." The House Education Policy Committee approved the bill. It would also require teaching about other genocides, including of Native American people. The Star Tribune has a story as well.
Tell MPR News: What do you hope lawmakers accomplish this session? | 