Local News
Golden Valley, MN – This week, the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC) sued the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) and Commissioner Jodi Harpstead on behalf of former employee Joseph Norgren in the Federal District of Minnesota. The suit claims racial and religious discrimination and retaliation.
The lawsuit challenges an administrative rule adopted by the Secretary of State that conflicts with the Minnesota statute requiring absentee ballot board members to verify that absentee ballots belong to the voter named on the ballot and ballot application. The challenged rule limits the situations in which a ballot may be rejected to only those where the name signed is clearly a different name than the name of the voter as printed on the signature envelope.
Golden Valley, MN – The Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC), on behalf of Officer Rodney Maki, sent a letter today to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis demanding that the Fed reverse its placement of Officer Maki on unpaid leave and its threats of the termination of his employment based on his religious objection to receiving a COVID-19 vaccination produced or tested using fetal cells.
(Golden Valley, MN) Upper Midwest Law Center’s (UMLC) lawsuit claims on behalf of Northland Baptist Church, Pastor John Bruski and Living Word Christian Center against Governor Walz’s discriminatory restrictions on Christian worship were sustained, and Attorney General Ellison’s motion to dismiss denied by Federal Court Order on March 30, 2021. These claims will go forward to trial per the Court’s Order.
On August 10, the Minnesota Supreme Court denied the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Frey’s petition for accelerated review in the Spann decision requiring the City to take immediate action to fund an adequate police force as required by the City Charter.
(Golden Valley, MN) As previewed at a recent press conference at the Minnesota Capitol, Bob and Cynthia Cajune, Native-American and White parents of multi-racial children at Lakeville Public Schools, alongside other Lakeville parents and students, filed a federal lawsuit challenging the posting of Black Lives Matter posters in school property while refusing to post divergent views on race and social justice, such as All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter posters.
(Golden Valley, MN) Tara Gustilo says: “I shouldn’t be demoted or retaliated against because I don’t agree with the racially divisive and demeaning CRT ideology.” Is she wrong?
(Golden Valley, MN) On July 1, 2021, the Hennepin County District Court issued a Writ of Mandamus which orders the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey to “immediately take any and all necessary action to ensure that they fund a police force” of at least 730 sworn officers, or more if required by the 2020 Census to be published later this year.
(Golden Valley, MN) Today, Energy Policy Advocates, a public interest group seeking transparency in nationwide energy policy, represented by Upper Midwest Law Center, secured a major victory against Attorney General Keith Ellison at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals issued a precedential decision that requires Attorney General Keith Ellison to support his attempts to withhold data from the public with real descriptions and evidence, and not broad and general claims of privilege.