Minnesota State Courts | 2001 - 2002 Annual Report

Public Trust and Confidence

While most Minnesotans have confidence in the state's judiciary as an institution, they remain concerned about the timeliness and cost of bringing cases to court and the judiciary's treatment of persons of color. Nearly 40 percent of Minnesotans say they know little or nothing about the court system, and nearly half say they think the courts are out of touch with their communities.

The Judicial Branch is committed to assessing public perspectives and educating citizens about the system and its challenges. Judicial Branch outreach programs reached more than 40,000 people in 2001-02, in addition to citizens who met judges as they visited schools and service organizations.

Investing in the next generation

Legal Expo

The judiciary assists the bar associations of Hennepin and Ramsey counties in planning the annual Legal Expo in Brooklyn Center, MN. Minnesota judges team up with law enforcement agencies and other members of the legal community to discuss legal issues pertinent to young people such as race bias, law careers, family law, and students' rights. More than 600 students participate annually.

Traveling oral arguments

In an effort to demystify the court system to Minnesotans, the Supreme Court takes its oral arguments into schools across the state. Nearly 5,000 students participate annually.

Twice a year, the Court hears oral arguments of actual cases in a school and then opens the program to questions from students in attendance and watching via live cable television. Attorneys from local bar associations volunteer to review case briefs and prepare students for oral arguments.

The Court visited Mankato in spring 2001, Coon Rapids in fall 2001, Hastings in spring 2002 and Bloomington in fall 2002. The Bloomington program was also broadcast online. In Mankato, the visit included a community-wide dinner attended by nearly 500 people who represented a cross-section of the local community. The event offered justices and local judges an opportunity to meet the people they serve and to learn about the challenges and innovations of the justice system in that community.

Minnesota Constitution Day

More than 23,000 Minnesota students participated in the 2001 - 2002 Minnesota Constitution Day programs, during which judges and attorneys went "back to school" to teach students about the Judicial Branch, the state Constitution, and the importance of citizen participation in government. The visits featured an educational videotape about the court system and curriculum guides that are available to teachers online at www.courts.state.mn.us

The 2001 event included a program at the Minnesota History Center, in which Supreme Court Justices met with 350 Twin Cities students. Co-sponsored with the State Historical Society, the program gave students the opportunity to see the original state Constitution, which was temporarily removed from the state archives. In 2002, Supreme Court Justice James Gilbert kicked off the event by speaking to 200 refugee and immigrant students from Abraham Lincoln High School in Minneapolis.

The program commemorates the anniversary of the ratification of the Minnesota Constitution.

Keeping in touch

Since 1999, Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz has conducted "Court Innovations Tours" in different judicial districts, which allow her an opportunity to learn from the experiences of jurors, litigants, and concerned citizens across the state. They also allow the Chief Justice to meet with trial court judges and local attorneys, increase public awareness of the judiciary's challenges, and highlight local court innovations.

Tours include community events, information meetings with local organizations, and panel discussions highlighting new justice initiatives. In 2001, the Chief Justice toured Southeast Minnesota's Third District and in 2002, the Fourth District (Hennepin County).

Opening our doors

Since fall 2001, more than 4,500 people have toured the Minnesota Judicial Center in St. Paul, met with judges or justices, and viewed oral arguments. Visitors have included students, judges from countries including Russia and Armenia, legal professional groups, and legislators and their constituents.

Nearly 1,500 people visited the Judicial Center during a public open house to celebrate Law Day in May 2002. Visitors received guided tours, met judges and justices, attended an information fair about law-related topics with nearly 20 different organizations, and learned about court history. The event was recognized as one of the best Law Day Activities nationwide by the American Bar Association.

Other Law Day events included:

• Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz joined Bob Stein, Executive Director of the American Bar Association, to moderate a "Dialogue on Freedom" discussion with Ethiopian immigrant and American students at South High School in Minneapolis.
• The Hennepin County District Court joined other organizations to provide legal information to the public at an Access Information Fair in downtown Minneapolis.
• Ninth District counties connected via interactive television with Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals judges who spoke about the importance of law in citizens' lives and fielded questions from participants. The district also gave court tours, held panel discussions and mock trials, and set up information kiosks.
• Kanabec County court staff presented a mock trial for third-grade students.

Bridging the cultural gap

Members of the public met with judges, police, prosecutors, public defenders, and others in the criminal justice system to discuss how the system and communities of color can better work together. The 2002 Criminal Justice Forum at the Ramsey County Courthouse was cosponsored by the Judicial Branch, the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans, and the Dakota County Bar Association. Forum attendees heard judges explain how the judiciary works and then listened to criminal justice representatives talk about their roles in the system using a hypothetical scenario.

Redistricting

In 2001, Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz appointed a special redistricting panel to redraw Minnesota's congressional and legislative voting districts to reflect 2000 Census data. The panel included Court of Appeals Chief Judge Edward Toussaint, Jr., Court of Appeals Judge Thomas Kalitowski, Hennepin District Court Judge Heidi Schellhas, Waseca District Court Judge Renee Worke, and St. Louis District Court Judge Gary Pagliaccetti.

The panel held public hearings in Marshall, St. Cloud, Detroit Lakes, Duluth, Rochester, and St. Paul before issuing its final redistricting plan on March 19, 2002. The panel's work received widespread recognition as being fair to the state's major political parties, as well as to urban, rural, and suburban interests. No appeal of the panel's work was filed.

Utilizing technology

In 2001, Hennepin County launched a weekly cable television program called "Meet Your Court" to increase public understanding of the courts and the broader public policies facing the judiciary. Program guests have included Supreme Court justices, judges and other elected officials; court managers; attorneys; representatives from governmental agencies, and public interest and community organizations; and the media.

"Meet Your Court" airs on Metro Cable Network/Channel 6 in the seven-county metro area. For more information, please visit www.courts.state.mn.us/districts/fourth

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