At the Pioneer Press, David Montgomery reports Republican lawmaker doesn’t live in district, should be removed from ballot, judge rules.
According to page 5 of the Minnesota State Supreme Court Calendar for September, the high court will hear en banc oral arguments about the case on Tuesday, September 6.
A state lawmaker may be kicked off the ballot after a judge found he doesn’t live in his legislative district.
The final decision on whether state Rep. Bob Barrett should be removed from the ballot will be made by the Minnesota Supreme Court. But after reviewing evidence from Barrett and anti-Barrett activists, Judge George Stephenson ruled Friday that “clear and convincing evidence” suggests Barrett “did not reside in Legislative District 32B.”
“The evidence supports removing Candidate Barrett’s name from the ballot,” Stephenson wrote in his opinion.
Minnesota law requires candidates for state Legislature to live in the district where they’re running for at least six months before the election, which this year is Nov. 8.
Barrett downplayed Stephenson’s ruling.
“I look forward to taking this to the Supreme Court and I am confident I will ultimately prevail,” Barrett said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Secretary of State Steve Simon, who is named in the case, declined to comment. . . .
This isn’t the first time Barrett’s residency in the district has been challenged. Another lawsuit in the 2014 election also alleged he didn’t live in District 32B. But the judge in that case found Barrett’s challengers didn’t offer credible proof. This time around, he ruled they did.
Documents related the case may be viewed here (should the link redirect you to a login page for a database, accept the terms, enter A16-1252 in the case number box on the new window and hit the search button, and a list of files will appear; to view the documents, click on the PDF emblem on the far right).
Here's the judge's decision, via Montgomery's article:
Barrett Findings of Fact by David Montgomery on Scribd
Photo: Pending the decision of the Minnesota Supreme Court after the hearing on September 6, we have some goodnatured fun with his campaign logo.
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