Case Summary

On April 26, 2021 a group of registered voters in Minnesota filed a lawsuit against the Minnesota Secretary of State challenging the state's then-current legislative and congressional districts as unconstitutional. The plaintiffs alleged due to population shifts over the last decade, the state's then-present legislative and congressional districts had become unconstitutionally malapportioned in violation of the one person, one vote constitutional requirement, and that the Governor and State Legislature would be unable to reach a consensus to enact new, lawful plans in time for the upcoming 2022 elections. They sought a declaratory judgment that the then-current legislative and congressional districts violated article I, § 2 and article IV, § 3 of the Minnesota Constitution and Article I, § 2, and the 1st and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. They also sought an injunction barring the defendant from giving any effect to those plans and for the court to implement new legally compliant districts should the Governor and Legislature fail to enact new plans by the February 15, 2022 statutory deadline.

On March 22, 2021 the Minnesota Supreme Court granted the plaintiffs' request for the appointment of a special redistricting panel but ordered the case be stayed until it was determined that the judicial branch would have to intervene to assure valid redistricting plans were in place for the 2022 state legislative and congressional elections. On June 30, 2021 the Minnesota Supreme Court lifted the stay and appointed a special redistricting panel to handle the case.

On February 15, 2022 the special redistricting panel issued orders enjoining Minnesota's then-current congressional and legislative districts from being used in the 2022 elections and adopting the court's own congressional and legislative plans for use in future primary and general elections.

Related Case: Wattson v. Simon

Case Library

Minnesota District Court, Ramsey County - 62-cv-21-2213

• Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief - 4/26/21

Minnesota Supreme Court - A21-0546 [together with Wattson v. Simon, A21-0243]

• Petition for Assumption of Jurisdiction and Consolidation Before Special Redistricting Panel - 4/27/21
• Response to Petition - 5/10/21
• Order of Consolidation - 5/20/21
• Motion to Join Additional Party and Amend Complaint - 6/23/21
• Memorandum in Support of Motion to Join Additional Party and Amend Complaint - 6/23/21
• Secretary of State's Response to Motion to Join Additional Party and Amend Complaint - 6/24/21
• Petitioners' Notice of Consent to Motion to Join Additional Party and Amend Complaint - 6/28/21
• Motion to Intervene as Plaintiffs - 6/29/21
• Memorandum in Support of Motion to Intervene as Plaintiffs - 6/29/21
• Order Appointing Special Redistricting Panel - 6/30/21
• Intervenor-Plaintiffs' Response to Motion to Join Additional Party and Amend Complaint - 6/30/21
• Secretary of State's Response to Motion to Intervene - 7/7/21
• Carver County Elections and Licensing Manager's Response to Motion to Join Additional Party and Amend Complaint - 7/13/21
• Common Cause's Intervention Petition - 7/15/21
• Common Cause's Motion to Intervene - 7/15/21
• Common Cause's Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion to Intervene - 7/15/21
• Order Granting Motion to Intervene - 7/21/21
• Respondent Secretary of State's Response to Motion to Intervene - 8/10/21
• Sachs Plaintiffs' Notice of Consent to Intervention Motions - 8/13/21
• Wattson Plaintiffs' Response to Motions to Intervene - 8/13/21
• Order - 8/23/21
• Notice of Motion and Application to Intervene by Proposed Data Science Intervenors - 9/3/21
• Memorandum of Law in Support of Motion and Application to Intervene by Proposed Data Science Intervenors - 9/3/21
• Proposed Complaint in Intervention by Data Science Intervenors - 9/3/21
• Plaintiffs Peter S. Wattson Et Al.'s Objection to the Proposed Data Science Intervenors' Motion for Intervention - 9/8/21
• Order - 9/10/21
• Anderson Plaintiffs' Response to Proposed Redistricting Principles - 10/20/21
• Order Stating Preliminary Conclusions, Redistricting Principles, and Requirements for Plan Submissions - 11/18/21
• Application by Citizen Data Scientists for Leave to Participate as Amici Curiae and Request for Leave to File Brief - 11/30/21
• Anderson Plaintiffs' Opposition to Application by Citizen Data Scientists for Leave to Participate as Amici Curiae and Request for Leave to File Brief - 12/3/21
• Reply in Support of Application by Citizen Data Scientists for Leave to Participate as Amici Curiae and Request for Leave to File Brief - 12/3/21
• Order - 12/6/21
• Wattson Plaintiffs' Notice of Motion and Motion to Adopt Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Plans - 12/7/21
• Wattson Plaintiffs' Proposed Congressional Redistricting Plan and Accompanying Materials - 12/7/21
• Wattson Plaintiffs' Proposed Legislative Redistricting Plans and Accompanying Materials - 12/7/21
• Letter to Court Regarding Minnesota Secretary of State's Plan Submission - 12/7/21
• Corrie Plaintiffs' Notice of Motion and Motion to Adopt Their Proposed Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Plans With Supporting Memoranda - 12/8/21
• Corrie Plaintiffs' Proposed Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Plans - 12/8/21
• Declarations in Support of Corrie Plaintiffs' Proposed Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Plans - 12/8/21
• Anderson Plaintiffs' Motion to Adopt Congressional Redistricting Plan and Memorandum in Support - 12/8/21
• Anderson Plaintiffs' Proposed Congressional Plan and Reports - 12/8/21
• Anderson Plaintiffs' Motion to Adopt Legislative Redistricting Plan and Memorandum in Support - 12/8/21
• Anderson Plaintiffs' Proposed Legislative Redistricting Plan and Reports - 12/8/21
• Sachs Plaintiffs' Motion to Adopt Proposed Congressional Redistricting Plan and Memorandum in Support - 12/8/21
• Sachs Plaintiffs' Proposed Congressional Redistricting Plan and Reports - 12/8/21
• Sachs Plaintiffs' Motion to Adopt Proposed Legislative Redistricting Plan and Memorandum in Support - 12/8/21
• Sachs Plaintiffs' Proposed Legislative Redistricting Plan and Reports - 12/8/21
• Order - 12/15/21
• Order - 1/10/22
• Final Order Adopting Congressional Redistricting Plan - 2/15/22
• Final Order Adopting Legislative Redistricting Plan - 2/15/22