The clash in St. Paul over who controls the state House is now in court, after Democrats filed a lawsuit accusing Republicans of acting unlawfully when they convened for session as a majority and elected a speaker.

Steve Simon, who as secretary of state initiates the first House proceedings, ruled there was not a quorum present and adjourned the session. Republicans argued he couldn’t do that.

Following the contentious first day of the 2025 Minnesota Legislative session, where members of the DFL failed to show, partisan tensions are rising as lawmakers claim House Republicans attempted to select a speaker.

On January 14, 2025, the DFL filed a lawsuit asking the state Supreme Court to declare that Republicans acted unlawfully when they organized the house in the absence of a quorum.

The Minnesota House GOP says it could still keep a DFL rep out of office even after a judge ruled he won reelection by a slim margin.

It’s a rocky start to the Minnesota legislature session. DFL House members failed to show up at the Capitol, but Republicans conducted business as usual and elected a house speaker. FOX 9’s Bill Keller has more on the story.

As the clock struck noon on Tuesday, all desks were empty in the DFL half of the House chamber; Republicans pressed ahead declaring a quorum.

With lawmakers set to convene for the 2025 Minnesota legislative session at noon Tuesday, it remained unclear whether Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican House lawmakers will reach a power-sharing agreement to avoid a DFL walkout.

Minnesota state leaders head into day two of the 2025 legislative session, but not everyone is in attendance. Many DFL members continue to boycott the start of the session as they argue a special election needs to take place before the body can fairly move forward.