Judge rejects Minneapolis ballot language on replacing police

[Valin]

Alpha News

Anderson’s ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by three Minneapolis residents.

Anthony Gockowski

September 7, 2021

A Hennepin County judge tossed out the Minneapolis City Council’s proposed ballot language to “strike and replace” the police department with a new department of public safety, saying it was “vague to the point of being misleading.”

Hennepin County District Judge Jamie Anderson said the proposed ballot language was “vague, ambiguous and incapable of implementation” in a Tuesday ruling.

“For these reasons, the Court finds Petitioners have proven by a preponderance of the evidence that inclusion of the Current Ballot Language on the ballot would be both an error and wrongful act under § 204B.44 because the proposed language is insufficient to identify the amendment clearly, it does not assist the voter in easily and accurately identifying what is being voted on, and it is vague and ambiguous to the point of misleading voters, all of which make it unjust,” Anderson wrote.

Up until Tuesday’s decision, Minneapolis residents were set to take up the question of amending the city charter to “strike and replace” the police department with a new department of public safety, which “could include” police officers “if necessary.”

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[Valin]

SHOCKING NEWS ALERT!

Minnesota Supreme Court puts replacing MPD back on the ballot

The high court’s decision is considered the final word in a confusing legal battle that has unfolded over the last several weeks.

Anthony Gockowski

September 17, 2021

In an 11th-hour ruling, the Minnesota Supreme Court decided that Minneapolis residents can in fact start voting on the future of their police department Friday when early voting begins.

The decision reverses an order from Hennepin County District Judge Jamie Anderson, who has struck down multiple iterations of language approved for the ballot by the Minneapolis City Council.

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But that was reversed in a Thursday night ruling from the Minnesota Supreme Court.

“So as not to impair the orderly process of voting, this order is issued with an opinion to follow at a later date,” said Chief Justice Lorie Gildea.

The high court’s decision is considered the final word in a confusing legal battle that has unfolded over the last several weeks.

Beginning Friday at 8 a.m., Minneapolis residents will decide if they want to amend the city charter to replace the police department with a new department of public safety that will include police officers only “if necessary.”

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