On September 11th, the Liberty Justice Center and the Upper Midwest Law Center jointly launched a new case challenging a controversial new Minnesota law that criminalizes core political speech.
On March 5, 2023, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed House File 28. The law includes a provision allowing the state to prosecute anyone who expresses disfavored opinions about Minnesotan voting laws within 60 days of an election. The plaintiffs argue that House File 28 violates Minnesotans’ free speech rights by outlawing speech about undecided legal questions, such as whether the state’s constitution allows felons the right to vote before their sentences have ended, rather than afterwards.
The lead plaintiff in this case, Minnesota Voters Alliance, is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization that aims to increase public awareness of election-related issues and to increase voter participation in elections. Alongside several other concerned citizens, the group is challenging House File 28, arguing that the state’s criminalization of political discussion about elections violates the First Amendment. The plaintiffs are represented jointly by the Liberty Justice Center, a national public interest law firm that litigates to protect constitutional rights throughout the country, and by the Upper Midwest Law Center, a leading public interest law firm fighting for the rights of Minnesotans.
Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Ellison was filed in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota on September 11, 2023.
Jacob Huebert serves as the president of the Liberty Justice Center. He previously served as the Liberty Justice Center’s Director of Litigation. In that role, he successfully litigated cases to protect economic liberty, free speech and other constitutional rights. Jacob and his work have appeared in numerous national media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Fox News Channel.
Reilly Stephens is a Counsel at Liberty Justice Center where he assists in cases to protect the rights to free speech, economic liberty, private property, and other Constitutional rights in courts across the country.
(Duluth News Tribune)—In Minnesota, it’s now a crime to express the wrong opinion about voting rules. A law passed in May bans individuals and organizations from sharing information about voting locations, times, qualifications, and restrictions if they intend “to impede or prevent another person from exercising the right to vote”...
(The Center Square)—A lawsuit challenges a new law allowing civil fines for certain speech within 60 days of an election. The Liberty Justice Center and the Upper Midwest Law Center, national public interest law firms, filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Minnesota. The lawsuit targeting Attorney General...