CASE SUMMARY

On February 19, 2021 several Minnesota voters filed a lawsuit in state court against various state election officials challenging the constitutionality of Minnesota's then-current congressional and legislative districts. The plaintiffs' suit alleged Minnesota's then-present congressional and legislative districts, which were established by court order in 2012 following a state lawsuit, had become malapportioned due to significant population shifts throughout the decade in violation of the equal population requirements for congressional and legislative districts under Article I, § 2 and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, respectively. The plaintiffs further claimed the ongoing and anticipated failure of the Minnesota legislature to equalize those districts' populations violated their constitutional and statutory duty to redistrict the state and would've led to the holding of 2022 elections under malapportioned districts, thereby violating Minnesota voters' constitutional right to equal representation. The plaintiffs sought a declaratory judgment that the state's then-current congressional and legislative districts were unconstitutional and injunctive relief barring the state officials from conducting primary or general elections until the districts were redrawn to comply with equal population requirements.

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-existing 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: Sachs v. Simon

CASE LIBRARY

Minnesota District Court, Carver County - No. 10-cv-21-127

• Summons and Complaint - 2/19/21
• Petition for Appointment of Special Redistricting Panel - 2/22/21
• Notice of Appellate Case Filing - 2/23/21
• Notice of Intervention - 3/15/21
• Complaint in Intervention - 3/15/21

Minnesota Supreme Court - No. A21-0243 [together with Sachs v. Simon, No. A21-0546]

• Order Granting Appointment of Special Redistricting Panel and Staying Further Proceedings - 3/22/21
• 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 and to Amend Complaint - 7/21/21
• 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 - 10/26/21
• Order Stating Preliminary Conclusions, Redistricting Principles, and Plan Submission Requirements - 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
• 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 Redistricting 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 a Congressional Redistricting Plan - 2/15/22
• Final Order Adopting a Legislative Redistricting Plan - 2/15/22