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
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
13 Mar	Antitrust Class Action Against Graco Inc. Dismissed	McDermott Will & Emery
20 Jan	Should a Non-Compete be Signed Before or After Employment Begins? Answer: It Depends in Alabama and Elsewhere	Jackson Lewis P.C.
17 Jan	Top Ten Ways Employers Run Afoul of Minnesota’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Statute	Jackson Lewis P.C.
17 Jan	Employment-at-Will Doctrine is Alive and Well in Minnesota	Jackson Lewis P.C.
9 Jan	Happy New Year: Minnesota’s “Ban the Box” Law Now In Effect	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
2 Jan	Minnesota Court Rules Indignation Over Employer’s Handling of Substance Abuse No Reason To Quit, Get Unemployment Benefits	Jackson Lewis P.C.
10 Oct	Shift in Minnesota’s Law on Indemnification in Construction Contracts	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
11 Sep	Bring Your Guns to Work: How State Gun Laws Are Aiming Directly at the Workplace	Vedder Price
24 Jul	Minnesota Employers Required To Provide Expanded Sick Leave Benefits Effective August 1, 2013	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
17 Jul	Spoliation in Minnesota Construction Defect Cases: The Duty to Preserve Evidence is Not Absolute	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
31 May	The Trouble With The So-Called “Equal Opportunity Harasser” – Another Cautionary Case Out of Minnesota	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
17 May	Minnesota Passes “Ban the Box” Legislation	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
14 Feb	Recent Minnesota Supreme Court Case May Limit Additional Insured’s Rights and Indemnity Obligations in Construction Contracts	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
12 Feb	Energy and Environmental Law Update - February 10, 2013	Mintz
24 Dec	No ADA Protection for Termination Due to Fear of Swine Flu	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
13 Nov	Results of State Voter Referendums on Same-Sex Marriage: Implications for Employee Benefit Plans	McDermott Will & Emery
26 Oct	Upcoming State Voter Referendums on Same-Sex Marriage	McDermott Will & Emery
18 Oct	Minnesota Court Applies 2-Year Limit to Drug/Alcohol Testing Law, Increases Likelihood of Punitive Damages in Employment Claims	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
12 Oct	Experts Excluded Despite Spending Over $1 Million to Test Their Theories	Armstrong Teasdale
20 Sep	Minnesota Arguably Expands Coverage for Additional Insureds in the Construction Context	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
12 Aug	Eighth Circuit Upholds NLRB Decision Finding Union to have Unlawfully Targeted Neutral Employer	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
6 Aug	Window of Opportunity to Make $5.12 Million in Tax Free Gifts Closes Jan. 1, 2013	Barnes & Thornburg LLP
18 May	Wind Compact Looks at the Great Lakes	Varnum LLP
6 May	Keeping the Family Farm in the Family	Varnum LLP
2 Dec	Eighth Circuit Not Ready to Move Away from Traditional Market Definition Process	Greenberg Traurig, LLP
20 Oct	US Department of Labor obtains judgment to distribute $1.35 million to participants of Minneapolis-based Northland Inn's 401(k) plan	U.S. Department of Labor
18 Oct	US Labor Department awards more than $7.6 million to 5 states for innovative re-employment strategies	U.S. Department of Labor
27 Sep	DOL and IRS Join Forces to Crack Down on Employee Misclassification	Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A.
6 Jun	ALJ finds parts supplier unlawfully discharged 20 immigrant employees in Minnesota after they refused to sign away NLRA and other rights	National Labor Relations Board
13 Apr	Minnesota Department of Human Services Must Pay More Than $467,000 For Age Bias	U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
1 Apr	Banning Stem Cell Research — Or Cloning? Or Both?	Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.
31 Jul	Minnesota Supreme Court Overrules Longstanding Ban on Contribution, Recognizes Right of Equitable Contribution Among Primary Insurers	von Briesen & Roper, s.c.