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Minnesota State Courts

Courts – State Courts – Minnesota

Highest Court

The highest court in Minnesota is the Supreme Court of Minnesota.  The Supreme Court consists of 7 justices. It has jurisdiction over (1) Final appellate jurisdiction.

Intermediate Courts

Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals consists of 16 judges. It has jurisdiction over (1) Appellate jurisdiction over all matters except appeals from tax court, workers compensation, and murders.

General Courts

District Court
The District Court consist of 274 judges.  It has jurisdiction over (1) Original civil, administration of trust estates, dissolution, annulment, separate maintenance, Reciprocal Support Act, adoption, change of name, quiet title, and real estate mortgage foreclosures.  (2) Original criminal.  (3) Juvenile in Second and Forth Districts.  (4) Special proceedings not exclusively recognizable by some other court or tribunal.
Appeals de novo and on record.
No jury trials are overseen by this court.

Additional Information

Papers to be submitted on recycled paper
A document submitted by an attorney to a court of Minnesota must be submitted on paper containing no less than 10% postconsumer material.  The court may not refuse a document solely because the document was not submitted on recycled paper.  However the following exceptions do apply to this statute:  a photograph, an original document prepared or printed before January 1, 1996, a document not created at the direction or under the control of the submitting attorney, a facsimile copy, nonrecycled paper and preprinted forms acquired or printed before January 1, 1996.(Minnesota Statutes 480.0515)

Present laws effective until modified
All present laws (expect those of the probate courts) relating to pleading, practice, and  procedure, shall be rules of court until the are modified or superseded by  subsequent court rule.  However, upon the adoption of any rule in agreement to sections 480.051 to 480.058, if the said laws are in conflict they shall no be in further force and effect. (Minnesota Statute 480.056)

Juvenile court rules
The Supreme Court may declare the rules to regulate the pleadings, practice, procedure, and forms in the proceedings in all juvenile courts in the Minnesota in agreement with the provisions of section 480.059.  However, the composition of the advisory committee and the distribution of the proposed rules are exempt from the.  Before the rules are adopted, the Supreme Court shall distribute copies of the proposals to all people who have registered with the Supreme Court to receive notice of hearings. The rules shall be available for distribution to the judiciary and attorneys of the state on or before September 1, 1982. (Minnesota Statute 480.0595)

Testing writs.
Any writ or process from a court of record shall be tested in the name of the presiding judge, signed by the court administrator, receive the court’s seal, dated in the day of issuance, endorsed by the court administrator with the name of the attorney, and when no other time is fixed by law or authorized by the rules of practice, it shall be made returnable on the first day of the next succeeding term.  (Minnesota Statute 484.04)

Court not open Sunday; exception.
Court shall not be opened on Sunday except to receive a verdict, give additional instruction to or discharge a jury.  However a judge of such court is not prevented from exercising jurisdiction in any case where it is necessary for the preservation of the peace, the sanctity of the day, or the arrest  and commitment of an offender. (Minnesota Statute 484.07)

Stenographic record
A competent stenographer shall make a complete stenographic record in the exact language of all testimony given and all proceedings had before the judge in regards to a trial of issues of fact.  The stenographer shall also record, verbatim, all words spoken during a trial.  When requested by the judge, the stenographer shall, without charge,  make a like record of the matter or proceeding, transcribe, and/or read it to judge.   (Minnesota Statute 486.02)

Program and training guidelines; certification
The state court administrator shall adopt guidelines for use by community dispute resolution programs and training programs for mediators and arbitrators for the community dispute resolution programs.  (Minnesota Statute 494.015)


Inside Minnesota State Courts