Today the Second Judicial District Court of Minnesota severed and struck down part of the 2024 omnibus tax bill for violating the single-subject clause of the Minnesota constitution.
"This is an important win for transparency and accountability for the legislature. The court is clear that legislation must follow Minnesota’s constitutional single subject requirement, which is designed to prevent exactly what Democrats did in 2024: pass a 1,400-page tax bill on the last night of session through a sham process just before midnight, with little to no opportunity for meaningful review by lawmakers or the public." Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson (East Grand Forks) said.
Judge Castro, in his decision, did not hold back disapproval of how the bill was passed, writing:
But make no mistake, during the late hours of May 19, 2024, lawmaking did not “occur within the framework of the constitution.” 47 This Court respectfully suggests that if there has ever been a bill without a common theme and where “all bounds of reason and restraint seem to have been abandoned,” 48 this is it; and if there has ever been a time for the “draconian result of invalidating the entire law,” 49 that time is now.
On May 22, 2024, Sen. Johnson co-authored a letter to Governor Walz urging him to veto the omnibus tax bill saying at the time, “signing this bill will be an endorsement of a process that will have serious consequences for both chambers for years to come.”
"This decision is a reminder that the legislative process exists to put Minnesotans first, not to sidestep them. I applaud the court for reaffirming that the people’s business must be done in the light of day, not buried in last-minute sham hearings for mega-bills. Today’s district court ruling is a validation that the consequences for a total abuse of power are just beginning,” Johnson concluded.
47 See Associated Builders, 610 N.W.2d at 303.
48 Id. at 302 (quoting Mattson, 391 N.W.2d at 784 (Yetka, J., concurring)).
49 Id. at 305.