Special Master will hear petitions on Friday, July 1

Judge Kathleen Gearin appointed former Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Blatz as the Special Master to hear petitions and make recommendations to the Court on issues regarding funding during a state government shutdown. This will help clarify any remaining questions as to what should, or should not, be funded.

It has just been announced that Justice Blatz will holds hearings on Friday, July 1 in Room 230 of the Minnesota Judicial Center (25 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Saint Paul) from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m..

To schedule a hearing, please email Christopher Channing at christopher.channing@courts.state.mn.us. You will be asked to submit six copies of a case statement in advance of your hearing that outlines your position (just one or two pages long). Since these are informal proceedings, this does not need to be written as a formal legal document and you do not need a lawyer to represent you. You may bring people who will be affected by a shutdown to help make your case. Hearings may last up to 20 minutes.

Hearings will continue on Tuesday, July 5, until all petitioners are heard. If necessary, emergency issues may be considered over the holiday weekend.

If you have more information about the process, feel free to leave it as a comment to this blog posting. Also, watch the Minnesota Council of Nonprofit’s shutdown page for further information.

-Christina Wessel