Minnesota Law

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Minnesota residents are subject to Minnesota state and U.S. federal laws. Federal laws apply in Minnesota as they do across all 50 states. In addition to the U.S. Constitution, which is the supreme law of the U.S., federal laws include statutes that are periodically codified in the U.S. Code. Federal laws also include decisions by courts that interpret federal laws. Finally, federal laws include regulations issued by federal administrative agencies to implement federal laws. You can explore federal laws and related resources by visiting the federal law section of the Justia site.

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The state of Minnesota also has its own state laws. Minnesota state laws include the Minnesota Constitution, laws passed by the Minnesota legislature and periodically codified in the Minnesota Statutes, and decisions by courts that interpret Minnesota laws.

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While the original version of the Minnesota Constitution was adopted in 1857, it was revised in 1974. The revisions involved modernizing the structure and language of the document so that it could be more easily understood. Article IX of the Constitution provides the two processes for amending it. Under Section 1, a legislatively referred amendment will be placed on a ballot if a majority of each chamber of the legislature votes in its favor. Under Section 3, a proposal for a constitutional convention will be placed on a ballot if two-thirds of each chamber vote in its favor. Amendments produced by the legislature require a majority popular vote to take effect, while amendments produced by a constitutional convention require a 60 percent supermajority vote.

The Minnesota Statutes contain the laws passed by the Minnesota legislature. These laws and the provisions of the Minnesota Constitution are often interpreted by the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The federal Minnesota District Court also issues decisions that may affect Minnesota residents. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals holds the authority to review decisions by the Minnesota District Court. Sometimes the U.S. Supreme Court may review a case that has been appealed from the Eighth Circuit or from the Minnesota Supreme Court.