Minnesota Laws | National Law Review Page 4

Minnesota was the 32nd state admitted to the Union, on May 11, 1858. It is the 12th largest state by area, and with just over 5.5 million inhabitants, the 22nd most populous state in the US. Known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” the state is prominently known for this feature. With nearly 60% of residents living in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area, or “Twin Cities”, it is a predominant area in the state for tourism, development, and the state’s economy. The center of transportation, educational institutions, business, and government offices are primarily situated in this region of the state.

Today the state’s economy is highly driven by the finished products and services sector. It is home to many well-known corporations including Target, 3M, Hormel, Land O’Lakes, Valspar, Best Buy, and General Mills, among other major corporations. With a 3.1% unemployment rate in 2017, it was among the lowest in the country.

Minnesota’s government, like the federal government, is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial.

The Executive Branch is led by the governor of the state, who leads a cabinet that consists of leaders of state agencies. These leaders are called commissioners. Other elected offices are the secretary of state, attorney general and the state auditor.
The Legislative Branch of Minnesota is broken into two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The state is broken into districts and each district has one senator and two representatives. The districts are comprised of about 67,000 people.
For the state’s judicial branch, the court system has three levels. Additionally, there are two specialized courts: the tax court and a workers compensation court. The District courts, which are the courts of general jurisdiction, and the state has ten districts. Appeals are heard by the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which has 19 judges that hear cases in three-judge panels. The Supreme Court of the state has seven judges, and it hears all appeals from the tax court and workers’ compensation court of appeals, as well as first-degree murder convictions. The Minnesota Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over election disputes.

Minnesota is known for the Twin Cities, however, there are several popular destinations in the state, including the largest indoor mall in the US, the Mall of America. Minnesota also held title as the most literate US state in 2015, and is home to several major universities including the University of Minnesota, Walden University, and over 37 public education institutions throughout the state.

Visitors to the National Law Review will find the latest news and stories from the state. Employment law, wage and hourly discrimination, biofuel and environmental news, educational news, and government agency stories, are among those covered by the National Law Review. Visitors to the site will find news coverage updated regularly, and will always find the latest stories, legislation, and litigation throughout the state, through the online site.

Date	Title	Organization
17 Jun	EEOC Targets Minnesota Company for Alleged Transgender Discrimination	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
10 Jun	Minnesota Court Says Advice From Counsel is Affirmative Defense to Tortious Interference Claims	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
16 Apr	Part 2 of 2--Minnesota Courts Address Statutory Procedures for Claims Against Insurance Companies	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
15 Apr	Minnesota Courts Address Statutory Procedures for Claims Against Insurance Companies Part 1 of 2	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
27 Mar	Abusive Work Environment Proposed Legislation Introduced in Minnesota	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
13 Mar	Minnesota Supreme Court Allows Advice of Counsel Defense to Tortious Interference Claim in Non-Compete Dispute	Jackson Lewis P.C.
4 Mar	Employers Cannot Apply Tougher Policies Retroactively to Employee Covered by CBA	Jackson Lewis P.C.
3 Mar	Medical Staff By-laws are Contracts? Minnesota Supreme Court Says “Yes”	McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie and Kirkland, PLLC
24 Feb	When is a Party Not a Party? Joint Litigants and Judicial Strikes in Minnesota	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
19 Feb	Minnesota Proposed Family Paid Leave Battle Begins	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
11 Feb	Court Triples Time to Bring a Minnesota Whistleblower Claim	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
28 Jan	Minnesota Supreme Courts Rules That Medical Staff Bylaws Are Enforceable Contracts	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
6 Jan	New Minnesota Expungement Law Helps Protect Employers from Liability	Proskauer Rose LLP
5 Jan	Color Match Arrives (Again) in Minnesota re: Insurance Coverage of Storm Damage	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
5 Jan	Cybersecurity Litigation Monthly Newsletter-December 2014	Faegre Drinker
2 Jan	Minimum Wage Surges in 2015 and Beyond	Godfrey & Kahn S.C.
30 Dec	FERC Approved Settlement with Twin Cities - Federal Energy Regulatory Committee	Bracewell LLP
25 Dec	EPA Announces 2014 Annual Environmental Enforcement Results	U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
19 Dec	Insurers Ordered to Contribute $30 Million Toward Overdraft Settlement	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
18 Dec	Federal Spending Bill Creates Controversy Over Federal Government’s Position on Medical Marijuana	Jackson Lewis P.C.
17 Dec	Minnesota Statutory Whistleblower Claims Subject to Six-Year Limitations Period, Court Rules	Jackson Lewis P.C.
16 Dec	Fraudulent Concealment Will Toll Statute of Limitations on Payment Bonds Against Innocent Surety	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
12 Dec	Attention Retailers: Target Data Breach Ruling Finds Duty Owed to Issuer Banks	Proskauer Rose LLP
6 Dec	MotivePower, Inc. v. Cutsforth, Inc., Final Written Decision IPR2013-00274	Faegre Drinker
4 Dec	Minnesota: Issuer Banks’ Claims in Target Data Breach Litigation Survive Motion to Dismiss	Mintz
1 Dec	Fabricating Evidence and Losing Arbitration	McDermott Will & Emery
21 Nov	Legislative Updates - Ban the Box Laws Gathering Momentum	Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen, P.C.
18 Nov	Energy & Environment Law Update - November 17, 2014	Mintz
8 Nov	Admissions of Drug Use By Employees Are Not The Same As Positive Test Results in Minnesota	Jackson Lewis P.C.
30 Oct	EEOC Seeks to Stop Use of Financial Incentives for Wellness Program Participation	Covington & Burling LLP
29 Oct	Minnesota Restaurant Joins Tip Credit Debate with “Minimum Wage Fee”	Jackson Lewis P.C.
15 Oct	Nevada and D.C. Courts Give Priority of Position to HOA Assessment "Superliens" Over First Mortgages	Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
13 Oct	Half-Billion Dollar Arbitration Award in Trade Secrets Case Affirmed by Minnesota Supreme Court in Trade Secrets Dispute	Jackson Lewis P.C.
25 Sep	Sackett Two Years Later: Wetland Jurisdictional Determinations Still Not Appealable	Bracewell LLP
11 Sep	Cybersecurity: Litigation, Crime & Enforcement-September, 2014	Faegre Drinker
11 Sep	Indian Nations Law Focus–September, 2014	Godfrey & Kahn S.C.
10 Sep	Trouble Ahead For On-the-Job Post-Accident Drug Testing?	Jackson Lewis P.C.
8 Sep	Key Considerations When Monitoring Employees Using GPS Tracking Devices	Jackson Lewis P.C.
3 Sep	Minnesota Supreme Court: Workers’ Compensation Retaliation Claims Can Result in Jury Trial, But Employers Have No Defense Based on Complaint Resolution Procedure	Jackson Lewis P.C.
21 Aug	Minnesota Drug Testing Law Does Not Apply to Employees Working Outside Minnesota	Jackson Lewis P.C.
30 Jul	New Version of USA Freedom Act Introduced	Covington & Burling LLP
24 Jul	Minnesota Congressman Drives Attachment of Debarment Provision to Appropriations Bills Re: Federal Contractors	Jackson Lewis P.C.
19 Jun	Employees in Minnesota to Have Right to Jury Trial Under Amendment to Human Rights Act	Jackson Lewis P.C.
3 Jun	New Minnesota Medical Cannabis Law Protects Employees From Discrimination For Medical Marijuana Use	Jackson Lewis P.C.
28 May	New "Ban the Box" Developments in Baltimore, Rochester, and Minnesota	Proskauer Rose LLP
13 May	Minnesota Women’s Economic Security Act Signed into Law	Jackson Lewis P.C.
10 May	Minnesota Expected to Pass Work Equity Bill Benefiting Women	Jackson Lewis P.C.
4 May	Minnesota Mulls Amendments to Data Breach Notification Law	Jackson Lewis P.C.
16 Apr	Minnesota Passes Minimum Wage Increases	Jackson Lewis P.C.
16 Apr	Minnesota Increases Minimum Wage	Barnes & Thornburg LLP