Prof. Ilan Wurman Co-Authors Op-Ed in Star Tribune About Minnesota DFL House Members Boycotting Legislative Session

Professor Ilan Wurman, Julius E. Davis Professor of Law, co-authored an op-ed in the Star Tribune with Minnesota Law student Benjamin Ayanian ’27 about the Minnesota House of Representatives opening the 2025 session without DFL members present. The GOP abandoned a power-sharing agreement it had with the DFL and claimed control of the House at the start of the session last Tuesday. DFLers have been boycotting the Capitol and the House floor in an attempt to deny the GOP a quorum, the threshold needed to conduct business. Republicans say they’re acting within the law, they elected Republican leader Lisa Demuth as speaker, and filled other leadership roles in the absence of the DFL members. Prof. Wurman and Benjamin Ayanian wrote, “The Minnesota Legislature is in chaos. The start of the session was, by law, to begin at noon Tuesday. The representatives from the DFL Party boycotted the start of the session, however, because a state judge invalidated the election of one member of the DFL who did not live in his district. Had the DFL shown up Tuesday, the Republicans would have had a 67-66 majority while they await a special election to fill the vacant seat.”