Justia Minnesota Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

At issue in this appeal was how sealed absentee ballots that were rejected and never counted during the 2008 general election were classified under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA). Several television stations brought an action under the MGDPA seeking access to the ballots, alleging that they were public government data under the MGDPA. The district court granted summary judgment to the stations. The court of appeals reversed, concluding that Minn. Stat. 13.37(2) unambiguously provided that sealed absentee ballots were nonpublic or private data under the MGDPA. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the plain language of section 13.37(2), when read in conformity when the MGDPA and statutes governing absentee voting, unambiguously classified unopened absentee ballots not counted in the 2008 general election as not public government data; and (2) because the absentee ballots were not public data, the stations were not entitled under the MGDPA to inspect and copy the disputed ballots. View "KSTP-TV v. Ramsey County" on Justia Law