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Article #7: Minnesota Administration

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As in the national government of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C..
United States, power in Minnesota is In addition to the standard city and
divided into three main branches: county levels of government found in the
Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. United States, Minnesota also has other
The executive branch is headed by the entities that provide governmental
governor, currently Tim Pawlenty, a oversight and planning. Some actions in
Republican, whose term began 6 January the Twin Cities metropolitan area are
2003. The current lieutenant governor of coordinated by the Metropolitan Council,
Minnesota is Carol Molnau. Molnau also and many lakes and rivers are overseen by
currently serves as the head of the watershed districts and soil and water
Minnesota Department of Transportation. conservation districts.
Both the governor and lieutenant governor Politics Minnesota is known for active
have four-year terms. The governor has a yet quirky politics, with populism being
cabinet consisting of the leaders of a longstanding force among all of the
various government agencies in the state, political parties that call the state
called commissioners. The full list of home. Minnesota politics include such
governors, and the dates they took oddities as a professional wrestler
office, is available at List of Governors turned governor and a protester turned
of Minnesota. The other constitutional crowd-surfing mayor not to mention one of
offices are secretary of state, attorney the all-time most liberal senators, Paul
general and state auditor. Wellstone. 77.3% of eligible Minnesotans
The Minnesota Legislature is a bicameral voted in the 2004 U.S. presidential
body consisting of the Senate and the election, the highest of any U.S. state.
House of Representatives. The state has Political conservatism is less strongly
67 districts, each covering about 60,000 linked to church attendance in most of
people. Each district has one senator and Minnesota than in other parts of the
two representatives (each district being country, perhaps a reflection of the
divided into A and B subsections). strong mainline Protestant and Roman
Senators serve for four years, and Catholic following, though in the
representatives serve for two years. In elections of 2000, 2002, and 2004 it was
the November 2004 election, the shown that this trend was in the process
Republican Party retained control of the of changing in some Twin Cities voting
Minnesota House of Representatives by a precincts.
single seat (68-66), having lost a total As a result of its liberal and populist
of 13 seats. The Minnesota Senate is political culture throughout much of the
controlled by the Minnesota latter half of the 20th century,
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). Minnesota has voted for Democrats for
After picking up two seats in local president longer than any other state
special elections on 16 November 2005, (the District of Columbia has voted for a
and 27 December, 2005, the DFL controls Democrat in every election since 1964),
the senate (38-29). There was one since 1976. Minnesota and the District of
Independence Party state senator, former Columbia were the only electoral votes
Republican Sheila Kiscaden (IP-Rochester) not won by incumbent Republican president
who caucused with the DFL. She officially Ronald Reagan, voting instead for former
joined the party in January 2006, Vice President of the United States and
bringing their lead to eight seats. former U.S. Senator Walter Mondale, a
Minnesota's court system has three Minnesota native. It should be noted that
levels: Trial courts. The state is split a Minnesotan ran on the Democratic ticket
into 10 judicial districts, with 257 as either President or Vice President in
judges. the 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980 and 1984. In
Most state cases start in the trial 2004, John Kerry narrowly won the state's
courts. 10 electoral votes by a margin of three
Minnesota Court of Appeals. This body percentage points with 51.1% of the vote.
hears appeals on cases tried in the trial Republican strength is greatest in
courts. There are 16 judges, who divide southern Minnesota and the suburbs of
into three-judge panels to hear appeals Minneapolis, especially in the area west
in courts across the state. of the city, and in developing outer
Minnesota Supreme Court. The seven suburban communities. Democrats hold
justices on the Supreme Court hear tremendous strength in Minneapolis/ St.
appeals from the Court of Appeals, the Paul proper and in the Iron Range of
Tax Court, and the Worker's Compensation northeastern Minnesota, including Duluth.
Court. The court automatically reviews The state also enjoys a strong and active
first-degree murder convictions, and third party movement. The Reform Party
settles disputes over legislative was able to elect former mayor of
elections. Brooklyn Park, and former wrestling
The state has two special courts created superstar Jesse Ventura to the
by state law as executive-branch governorship in 1998; however Ventura
agencies: The Tax Court deals with left the Reform Party in 2000 when Pat
non-criminal tax cases across the state. Buchanan took control. Ventura maintained
It has three judges appointed by the close ties to the Independence Party, but
governor to six-year terms, following chose not to seek reelection. In 2002 the
approval from the state Senate The Independence Party ran former democratic
Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals congressman Tim Penny in an unsuccessful
deals with cases involving worker bid for the governorship.
injuries referred to it on appeal, or Penny earned about 16% of the vote.
transferred from district court. It has The state's Green Party has elected
five judges appointed by the governor to several city council members and other
six-year terms, following approval from local office-holders in Duluth,
the state Senate Federal cases are heard Minneapolis and Winona, and has made
in the United States District Court for strong runs for state legislature during
the District of Minnesota, which holds the past two election cycles. In 2000,
court in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader
and Fergus Falls. Minnesota is part of received just over 5% of the presidential
the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, votes cast, gaining Major Party Status
which is based in St. Louis, Missouri. for the Green Party of Minnesota.
Appeals beyond this level go to the U.S.






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