Half the Minnesota House stood empty on Tuesday when the state Legislature convened for its session and Democrats didn't show up amid a bitter power dispute.

Judy Moe walked into a Richfield Caribou Coffee on Wednesday morning ready to air grievances and advocate for disability rights with her state representative, presenting him with a copy of a printed agenda she created for the 45-minute meeting titled “Meeting with State Rep.

Negotiations between House DFL and GOP leaders failed to reach a deal before the Legislature convened at noon Tuesday.

A one-seat Republican majority in the Statehouse and a looming special election made for a tense start to a new era of divided government.

House Democrats have boycotted the opening day of Minnesota’s 2025 legislative session in an effort to stop Republicans from exploiting a temporary majority to advance their agenda.

Minnesota legislative battle shifted to the state Supreme Court on Wednesday. Minnesota House Democrats and Secretary of State Steve Simon separately asked the court to nullify the Republicans’ actions on the first day of session Tuesday when the GOP convened and elected a speaker without the DFLers present.

In their lawsuit, House Democrats say Republicans unlawfully organized and elected a speaker on the legislative session’s opening day.

Minnesota House Democrats and Secretary of State Steve Simon have requested the state’s Supreme Court resolve the power struggle unfolding in the lower chamber. House Republicans and Democrats have been embroiled in a fight over whether the state House GOP has majority rule.

As House Republicans and the Senate introduce bills in session’s first week, Democrats talk priorities and hope for power-sharing

The House, not the courts, have the power to decide election challenges, according to Minnesota state law and the constitution.