The Investigation Begins

Several weeks back, Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson said that he'd gotten assurances from the Minnesota Supreme Court wouldn't take up the gay marriage issue. He quickly retreated from that statement. I said on April 2 that my questions will be answered. Now that prediction is coming true.
For what may be the first time in its 40-year history, the state Board on Judicial Standards has opened investigative files on all seven Minnesota Supreme Court justices, the result of a complaint that alleges that one or more of them may have had improper conversations with a legislator regarding Minnesota's marriage laws. The board could dismiss the complaint or take disciplinary action against any or all of the justices.

It launched an investigation of Chief Justice Russell Anderson and Associate Justices Barry Anderson and Paul Anderson earlier this month on the basis of complaints filed by state Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, and lawyer Greg Wersal. In a follow-up letter, Emmer made clear that his complaint was not limited to those three. After a preliminary investigation, the board has now opened files on Justices Lorie Gildea, Samuel Hanson, Helen Meyer and Alan Page. David Paull, executive secretary of the board, said he could not comment on the specifics. "We have opened investigative files," he said. "I can't say more than that."
Congratulations to Tom Emmer and Greg Wersal. These are as serious of charges as they get. Even after Johnson retreated from his initial statements, his attorney said that they could produce witnesses to the alleged conversations. Simply put, that's a scary thing.

If judges have already decided which way they'll rule before a case is filed is totally unacceptable & reprehensible. We can't have that. Thanks to Messrs.. Emmer & Wersal, we won't have to worry if that's the judges' predisposition. We'll know for certain.

I don't know if opening files on the justices means that they've found something suspicious but I can't believe it's a positive sign.

I promise to keep you posted as more information becomes available.



Posted Saturday, April 29, 2006 9:32 AM

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