Minn.: Court in the time of COVID

Brainerd Dispatch: "When Crow Wing County Attorney Don Ryan assumed his elected post 26 years ago, he did not foresee a time when nearly all of his office’s court appearances would take place in the virtual realm."

Minnesota might allow law grads to bypass bar exam

Law 360: " The Minnesota Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it may allow recent law school graduates to forgo the bar exam during the COVID-19 health emergency and said it will take public comments on the idea over the next few weeks."

Court upholds move to restore Minnesota lake's Dakota name

Indian Country Today: "A divided Minnesota Supreme Court said Wednesday a state agency has the authority to change the name of a popular lake back to its original Dakota name."

State high court ruling keeps some Minnesota voter data private

MPR News: "The Minnesota Supreme Court has affirmed the position of the Minnesota Voters Alliance that all of the records in the Minnesota statewide voter registration database are publicly available data."

Some Minnesota criminal defense attorneys say state court system 'unfair' during COVID-19 restrictions

KSTP News: "A group of private Minnesota criminal defense attorneys asked the chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court to allow them to have the same remote access to computer court files as prosecutors and judges, but the group's request was denied."

Minnesota Supreme Court sides with Winona County on frac-sand ban

Winona Daily News: "The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Winona County did not violate the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution with its ban on frac-sand mining."

Minnesota justices revive defamation claims over cop’s murder

Courthouse News Service: "The Minnesota Supreme Court handed down a tempered victory Wednesday for a man suing two media outlets, ruling that a defamation case against a local newspaper and a statewide television news channel needed closer scrutiny from a jury."

Sentencing guidelines commission votes to impose five-year limit on probation in Minnesota

MinnPost: "The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission has done what the state Legislature was unable to do. On an 8-3 vote Thursday, it placed a limit of five years on the length of probation for people convicted of crimes."