Prof. Emeritus Bert Kritzer Interviewed in the Star Tribune About Contested Court Races on the Ballot

Professor Emeritus Bert Kritzer was interviewed in the Star Tribune about contested court races on the ballot in Minnesota but are not high-profile judicial battles compared to other states like Wisconsin. According to Prof. Kritzer, several factors keep the tone tamped down in judge races in Minnesota, including institutional norms, a historically weak bench of challengers and a lack of high-profile cases before the state’s highest court that have spurred opposition. “Groups have not felt that they have a need to get involved in Minnesota Supreme Court elections, and that’s because Minnesota has not had to make any controversial decisions on abortion, and there’s not been significant tort reform legislation challenged before the court. There’s also no death penalty in Minnesota; that becomes a very hot topic in many other states.”