Minnesota Case Commentaries

Hybrid Return-to-Office Equipment Transport as a Compensable “Special Errand” Based on an Implied Employer Directive

Date: Apr 24, 2026

Hybrid Return-to-Office Equipment Transport as a Compensable “Special Errand” Based on an Implied Employer Directive Case: Cindy Ludwig v. Dakota County, Self-Insured by SFM Risk Solutions, Relator...

Minnesota Requires Warrants for Google Location Data and Bars Geofence Warrants that Delegate Step-Two Expansion Decisions to Police

Date: Apr 21, 2026

Minnesota Requires Warrants for Google Location Data and Bars Geofence Warrants that Delegate Step-Two Expansion Decisions to Police Introduction Case: State of Minnesota v. Ivan Contreras-Sanchez...

Berry and Summary Denial: No Evidentiary Hearing When Ineffective-Appellate-Counsel Claims Fail as a Matter of Law

Date: Apr 9, 2026

Berry and Summary Denial: No Evidentiary Hearing When Ineffective-Appellate-Counsel Claims Fail as a Matter of Law Case: Cedric Lamont Berry v. State of Minnesota Court: Supreme Court of Minnesota...

Judicial Impartiality in Minnesota: Legal Research and On-the-Record Clarification Are Not “Independent Investigation” or Advocacy

Date: Apr 4, 2026

Judicial Impartiality in Minnesota: Legal Research and On-the-Record Clarification Are Not “Independent Investigation” or Advocacy 1. Introduction In Andrew Vernard Glover v. State of Minnesota...

Reinstatement Requires Proven Moral Change; Separate Disciplinary Disputes Should Not Drive the Moral-Change Inquiry

Date: Apr 4, 2026

Reinstatement Requires Proven Moral Change; Separate Disciplinary Disputes Should Not Drive the Moral-Change Inquiry 1. Introduction In In re Petition for Reinstatement of Registration No. 0191139...

State v. Tillman: “Searching Inquiry” for Substitute Counsel May Be Satisfied by Targeted Questioning Plus the Court’s Record Knowledge

Date: Apr 4, 2026

State v. Tillman: “Searching Inquiry” for Substitute Counsel May Be Satisfied by Targeted Questioning Plus the Court’s Record Knowledge I. Introduction In State of Minnesota v. Shawn Michael Tillman...

Indefinite Suspension for Retaliatory Frivolous Litigation Under MRPC 3.1 and 8.4(d), While Declining to Reach Rule 4.4(a) for Pro Se Lawyers

Date: Apr 4, 2026

Indefinite Suspension for Retaliatory Frivolous Litigation Under MRPC 3.1 and 8.4(d), While Declining to Reach Rule 4.4(a) for Pro Se Lawyers 1. Introduction In In re Petition for Disciplinary Action...

Reinstatement Requires Clear and Convincing Proof of Moral Change; Contesting Separate Discipline Should Not Be Counted Against “Renewed Commitment”

Date: Apr 2, 2026

Reinstatement Requires Clear and Convincing Proof of Moral Change; Contesting Separate Discipline Should Not Be Counted Against “Renewed Commitment” 1. Introduction In In re Petition for...

Trial-Record Contradictions and Appellate Concessions Defeat “Reasonable Probability” Under Minnesota’s 2023 Aid-and-Abet Felony Murder Relief Act

Date: Mar 28, 2026

Trial-Record Contradictions and Appellate Concessions Defeat “Reasonable Probability” Under Minnesota’s 2023 Aid-and-Abet Felony Murder Relief Act Introduction State of Minnesota v. Scot Perry...

Exclusivity of Summary-Denial Grounds and Hearing-First Credibility in Minnesota’s Aid/Abet Felony-Murder Relief Act

Date: Mar 28, 2026

Exclusivity of Summary-Denial Grounds and Hearing-First Credibility in Minnesota’s Aid/Abet Felony-Murder Relief Act Introduction State of Minnesota v. Melissa Madelyne Zielinski (Minn. Mar. 25,...

Waiver by Retention: A Foreclosure Certificate Holder Accepts Redemption Money by Receiving It and Not Returning It as Soon as Administratively Possible

Date: Mar 20, 2026

Waiver by Retention: A Foreclosure Certificate Holder Accepts Redemption Money by Receiving It and Not Returning It as Soon as Administratively Possible Introduction In Petition of Minnesota Housing...

Paramedic Communications Are Privileged Only If the Paramedic Acts Under a Treating Physician’s Direction; Nonprivileged Medical-Record Content Remains Nonprivileged; Privilege Does Not Bar Particularized Warrants for Accident-Day Records

Date: Mar 20, 2026

Paramedic Communications Are Privileged Only If the Paramedic Acts Under a Treating Physician’s Direction; Nonprivileged Medical-Record Content Remains Nonprivileged; Privilege Does Not Bar...

Turner: Appellate Review of Counsel-Waiver Validity is De Novo (with Clear-Error Review of Underlying Facts) and Renewal After Charge Increase Requires Only a Focused Inquiry into the Changed Circumstances

Date: Mar 20, 2026

Turner: Appellate Review of Counsel-Waiver Validity is De Novo (with Clear-Error Review of Underlying Facts) and Renewal After Charge Increase Requires Only a Focused Inquiry into the Changed...

CHIPS Exclusivity: Chapter 257C Third-Party Custody Petitions Are Non-Cognizable in Juvenile Court, and Advisory Constitutional Holdings Must Be Vacated

Date: Mar 13, 2026

CHIPS Exclusivity: Chapter 257C Third-Party Custody Petitions Are Non-Cognizable in Juvenile Court, and Advisory Constitutional Holdings Must Be Vacated 1. Introduction In In the Matter of the...

Price/Jarvis “Necessary and Reasonable” Test Satisfies § 253B.03, subd. 6(b)’s “Necessary to Preserve Life or Health” Requirement (No Separate Threshold Finding)

Date: Mar 13, 2026

Price/Jarvis “Necessary and Reasonable” Test Satisfies § 253B.03, subd. 6(b)’s “Necessary to Preserve Life or Health” Requirement (No Separate Threshold Finding) 1. Introduction Case: In the Matter...

Chapter 278 Exclusivity Bars Repackaged Tort, Statutory Discrimination, and Constitutional Claims Attacking Property Tax Valuation

Date: Mar 13, 2026

Chapter 278 Exclusivity Bars Repackaged Tort, Statutory Discrimination, and Constitutional Claims Attacking Property Tax Valuation Introduction In Theodore Lockhart, Sr., Relator v. Hennepin County...

No Sender Privacy in Recipient-Stored Messages; Social-Media Warrants Must Be Narrowed by Time/Subject

Date: Feb 27, 2026

No Sender Privacy in Recipient-Stored Messages; Social-Media Warrants Must Be Narrowed by Time/Subject Case: State of Minnesota v. Deshon Israel Bonnell | Court: Supreme Court of Minnesota | Date:...

Direct-Evidence Standard Governs Pre-Verdict Judgments of Acquittal Even When Proof Is Entirely Circumstantial (and Clarifies “Circumstances Proved”)

Date: Feb 27, 2026

Direct-Evidence Standard Governs Pre-Verdict Judgments of Acquittal Even When Proof Is Entirely Circumstantial (and Clarifies “Circumstances Proved”) 1. Introduction State of Minnesota v. Nicholas...

Reasonable Suspicion for a PBT Is Not “Dispelled” by a Passed HGN and No Physical Signs When Other Objective Facts Still Support Impairment

Date: Feb 6, 2026

Reasonable Suspicion for a PBT Is Not “Dispelled” by a Passed HGN and No Physical Signs When Other Objective Facts Still Support Impairment Case: Melissa Ann Lorsung v. Commissioner of Public Safety...

“Refused to Submit” Is Enough: No Mandatory “Actual Unwillingness” Jury Instruction in Minnesota Test-Refusal Cases

Date: Feb 5, 2026

“Refused to Submit” Is Enough: No Mandatory “Actual Unwillingness” Jury Instruction in Minnesota Test-Refusal Cases 1. Introduction Case: State of Minnesota v. Jamie Sara Schmeichel Court: Supreme...