Today, the Minnesota Supreme Court granted review of UMLC’s appeal in Snell v. Walz. This case challenges whether Governor Tim Walz had the legal authority to impose a mask mandate on the people of Minnesota using emergency powers in 2020-2021.
The Court limited its review to the legal issue of whether Minnesota state courts recognize the “voluntary cessation” exception to mootness. This means that the Court will have the opportunity to align itself with federal courts, which generally recognize that government officials cannot escape court review by stopping their illegal policies before courts have a chance to review them.
In this case, Governor Walz ended the Minnesota mask mandate just three days after UMLC’s clients filed their Notice of Appeal to send the case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. UMLC’s clients previously offered to dismiss the case if Governor Walz agreed not to use emergency powers to impose another mask mandate. He refused.
UMLC intends to file its initial brief 30 days from today, with the Attorney General’s response to follow. The case is expected to be heard in late spring or early summer of this year. You can help support UMLC’s efforts for liberty and the rule of law by donating here.
