Local News

Welcome to Ramsey County!

On 04.22.22, In Interesting people, Libraries, Local News, By The Law Librarian

Today the law library would like to introduce our new director, Shannon Stoneking. Shannon started on April 18^th, and she was previously the manager of the Dakota County Law Library. In her new position, Shannon will continue to work on making the law library a place where Ramsey County residents can receive help with their legal questions.

Shannon has had a variety of experiences that led her to Ramsey County. She spent twelve years in Scott County as a law clerk for both Judge Macklin and Judge Lennon. In fact, it was her researching for the judges that brought her to the law library. There, Scott County Law Librarian Mary Freyberg assisted her, and encouraged her interest in librarianship. Shannon enrolled in the Library and Information Science program at the University of North Texas. A few months later, an opportunity to move in the field of law librarianship presented itself, and with the encouragement of Mary Freyberg, Shannon took the plunge and applied. In September of 2013, Shannon became the manager of the Dakota County Law Library.

At Dakota County, Shannon was responsible for three locations, the main branch in Hastings, the Galaxie satellite branch in Apple Valley, and at the courthouse in West St. Paul. In her eight years at Dakota County, she created strong partnerships that improved access to justice for her patrons. Small changes such as hiring bilingual staff, creating clinics staffed by multilingual attorneys, partnering with the public library branch librarians to bring legal information for seniors were just a few of the programs that she initiated. During the pandemic, she transitioned into an online world where she presented CLEs via Zoom, and she provided legal information and research to remote users.

The librarians in Dakota County really appreciated the work Shannon did at the law library. Margaret Stone, Director of Dakota County Library said:

Shannon was a great partner in serving the Dakota County community. She is a pleasure to work with, knowledgeable, professional, supportive to her staff and I always appreciated how she made public legal service a priority in her role. Shannon worked hard to help people reach their best possible outcome through the many legal clinics she offered and her work one on one while staffing the information desk. We will miss her; Ramsey County is fortunate to have Shannon as director of the Law Library.

Shannon comes to Ramsey County, energized and ready to continue where Sara Galligan left off. When she is not working on access to justice issues or running the law library, Shannon is interested in philosophy (she majored in Philosophy as an undergrad at Providence College) and participates locally at the Socrates Café. But if you really want to start a conversation with her, ask her about hockey. She is an avid fan and player, and she frequently watches her three nephews play hockey. She is a devoted Gopher Hockey fan and hopes to see the Minnesota Wild make a long run into the postseason.

Please stop by the law library to meet Shannon! She is looking forward to meeting you.

What to Know about the Derek Chauvin Trial

On 03.30.21, In Legal News, Local News, By The Law Librarian

This informational post contains links to resources relating to the Derek Chauvin Trial.

Links to all the Court documents relating to the Derek Chauvin trial. This page will link to trial information for the other defendants (see section for related cases).

Links to a live feed of the trial can be found on Court TV, as well as on various news pages, such as MSBNC, CBS Minnesota, YouTube, and many other sites.

The City of Minneapolis has a page that lists street closures, trial updates, and a link to report suspicious activity.

Links to the statutes for the charges:

Count 1: Second Degree Murder – Unintentional – While Committing A Felony (MN Stat. 609.19)
Count 2: Third Degree Murder – Perpetrating Eminently Dangerous Act and Evincing Depraved Mind (MN Stat 609.195)
Count 3: Second Degree Manslaughter – Culpable Negligence Creating Unreasonable Risk (MN Stat 609.205)

Link to Court’s profile of the judge for this case, Judge Peter A. Cahill.

Brief description of the judge, defendants, and attorneys involved with the case, article from Minnesota Public Radio.

The Court created a Media Guidance document that provides information for working reporters and court personnel to address and/or resolve logistical questions regarding media coverage of the trial.

You can find updates about other cases occurring in Hennepin County during the trial.

During the trial, the Hennepin County Law Library will continue to provide reference services to patrons by phone (612-348-2903) and email (law.library@hennepin.us). You are also welcome to visit, call, or email, the Ramsey County Law Library for help.

Stay warm, everyone!

On 01.30.19, In Contains links to good stuff, Local News, By The Law Librarian

In this time of extreme cold in Minnesota, we thought we should share tips for keeping safe and warm during these very chilly days.

If you have a home and transportation, some steps you can take to be safe are:

Monitor your space heaters and fireplaces
Dress in loose layers, and be aware that frostbite to exposed skin can occur very quickly in extreme cold
Keep an emergency kit in your car.

Many residents in Ramsey County are not so fortunate. For those who are homeless in Ramsey County, an option might be Ramsey County Cold Weather Hotel Program. This program is available for homeless families residing in a place not meant for human habitation who are on, or need to be added, to the waiting list to get into Ramsey County emergency shelter. A family must have an unsheltered status within the last seven days and the unsheltered homeless status must be verified by a third-party professional. Any families that are residing in a place not meant for human habitation may contact the Ramsey County Homeless Services office directly at 651-266-7818.

Other shelter and warming options:

The Salvation Army has two locations in Ramsey County that offer shelter from the extreme cold.

Saint Paul: 1019 Payne Avenue and 401 W. 7th St., St. Paul 55130
Maplewood: 2080 Woodlynn Ave., Maplewood 55109

Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities is preparing overflow and additional space will be added to the Saint Paul men’s campus at 435 University Ave. E, St. Paul, MN 55130. through Thursday night.

Listening House, a drop-in center located at 464 Maria Ave., Saint Paul, 55106 extended their hours on Wednesday and will be at closing at 2 p.m. On Tuesday and Thursday, they close at 4:15 p.m.

For younger residents, ages 16-24, a safe option is SafeZone Drop-in Center located at 130 E. 7th St., Saint Paul, 55101. SafeZone will hav extended their hours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29 through Friday, Feb. 1. Safe Zone will serve three warm meals throughout the day and provide youth with extra hand warmers and winter gear throughout the day.

A full list of housing and shelter resources for Ramsey County residents is on the county website here.

It is very cold outside today! Please pass on this information to those in need.

Don’t forget to vote!

On 10.31.18, In Contains links to good stuff, Local News, By The Law Librarian

The Ramsey County Law Library encourages everyone to exercise their right to vote on Tuesday November 6th. We have collected some interesting information about voting and this election to help ensure that you can participate in this year’s election.

Early voting has started

If you are worried about lines and crowds, early voting may be the solution for you. You can vote early in person, or by mail, though if you haven’t gotten your mail in ballot by now, it might not be the best way to ensure your vote is counted in time. If you have mailed in an absentee or ballot, you can track your ballot via the Secretary of State’s website.

Don’t know where your polling place is? The Secretary of State website has a link for that, too.

Take the time to vote

It is the law that in Minnesota that your employer must pay you for the time you need to vote, if it falls within your scheduled work time. Your employer cannot require you to use personal leave or vacation time (see Minnesota Statutes 204C.04 and 204C.08 subd. 1d).

Know your candidates and issues!

If you want to know who is on your ballot, the Minnesota Secretary of State website is a quick way to find out who you will vote for based on your mailing address. Minnesota Public Radio has provided voting guides for the election in multiple languages (English, Somali, Hmong, and Spanish).

Need assistance with voting?

If you have a disability or just need assistance at your polling place, you have rights! You can:

Ask to sign in orally if you cannot sign your name
Bring anyone except for your employer, your union, or a candidate, to assist you while you vote
You can ask to use an accessible voting machine that can mark the ballot for you
You can fill out a ballot using a Braille keypad or other devices
Curbside voting is available if you can’t leave your vehicle
You can cask for a replacement ballot if you make a mistake before you cast your vote

And if you need a ride to your polling place, please remember that Uber and Lyft are offering free rides to the polls on election day.

Minnesota consistently has a high voter turnout. Let’s continue this tradition. Please remember to vote on November 6.

Happy Law Day!

On 05.01.18, In Local News, New Books, By The Law Librarian

Thomas Jefferson called the distribution of power “the first principle of good government.” More than 225 years later, Hilarie Bass, ABA President wrote, “The phrase “separation of powers” does not appear anywhere in the text of the U.S. Constitution, yet it is likely one of the most important concepts in understanding how the U.S. government is designed to defend the liberties that Americans had fought the Revolutionary War to achieve.”

And today, we celebrate this year’s Law Day Theme, Separation of Powers.

What can you do to celebrate with us? Here in Ramsey County, the Law Library and the Ramsey County Bar Association will be hosting a CLE on May 3 featuring Hamline Professor David Schultz, who will be presenting, “The Court, the Constitution and Separation of Powers in American Law and Politics.” Profession Schultz will be addressing why the framers wanted separation of powers along with other concepts, such as checks and balances, to be a feature of American law and politics. The CLE is at noon, and will be held in Room 40 (in the lower level of the Courthouse), and is free to the general public and Ramsey County Bar Association members. CLE credit is available.

If you have never been to the Courthouse, one-hour courthouse tours will be available on May 3 at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Reservations are not required. All tours will meet at the base of the Vision of Peace statue. Tours are courtesy of the Ramsey County Historical Society.

More Law Day Resources:

The Ramsey County Law Library has a new book on this topic called, The Supreme Court in a Separation of Powers System: The Nation’s Balance Wheel by Richard L. Pacelle, Jr.

The President’s Proclamation on Law Day is posted on Whitehouse.gov, and you can learn more about Law Day at the ABA website.

Minnesota’s Capitols, both Timeless and Forgettable

On 08.16.17, In Local History, Local News, By The Law Librarian

Minnesota Capitol from Ramsey County Law Library

The Minnesota Capitol is visible from the law library

Last weekend the Minnesota Capitol hosted its open house to celebrate its recent extensive renovation and remodel project, yet some might be surprised that the 112 year old building is actually Minnesota’s third capitol. The history and timeframe of Minnesota’s capitols has some interesting parallels to the history of the Ramsey County courthouses. Each has had three buildings, with the present ones standing apart from the rest for their architectural significance and their longetivity. Similarly, their second buildings are both noteworthy for their short lifespans due to dissatisfaction of their users. You might recall that Minnesota’s original capitol burned to the ground in 1881. Built in 1854, it had become a patchwork of expansions by the end of its 27-year life. The second capitol is the one probably most forgotten, for it served in its original capacity for a rather short time. Indeed, the state began planning the third capital in 1893, only ten years after the second one was dedicated. The third-and-present capitol was completed and occupied in 1905, leaving the second vacated after just 22 years. Ironically, this second building served another thirty-plus years as meeting space, storage, and parking until its demolition in 1937. This story of short-lived usefulness is similar to the second Ramsey County courthouse, which at least managed to serve its original function for 43 years before it was replaced and demolished.

Why such a short lifetime for a state capitol? Granted, it had been hastily built, what with the need to replace what had been lost in the fire. The budget for the new capitol was also very lean and strict, with a misdemeanor penalty for exceeding the budget. (Never mind whether or not the finished project would last through the next generation.) Apparently, it was the faulty ventilation that led the push to replace this nearly-new building so shortly after its construction. It was also postulated that the second capitol was insufficient in that it was little more than a “glorified county courthouse,” and inadequate to represent the grand state that many Minnesotans felt their state was becoming. (Decide for yourself if the capitol then looked like the county courthouse located down the street.)

Minnesota’s trial-and-error history of building a capitol that could function and inspire through the ages is all the more reason to celebrate this recent renovation project. If you missed the festivities, you can always take a tour or check out the excellent restoration photos. Alternatively, track down the new book Our Minnesota State Capitol by Denis P. Gardner.

The Long (and Proud) History of Minnesota’s County Law Libraries

On 05.26.17, In Legal News, Local News, By The Law Librarian

You might have missed it, but county law libraries made a surprise appearance in the Minnesota legislative session this spring. You can read the original Senate File 1113 here, which would have allowed for the diversion of county law library funds for construction of a courthouse. This legislation passed both the Senate and the House, but was vetoed by Governor Dayton. But bills concerning county law libraries could always come up again at the capitol.

Without examining now-vetoed bill, this occurrence presents an opportunity to consider some history behind county law libraries in Minnesota. Their modern incarnation formally came into existence with what became Minnesota Statute §134A. You can read in the 1949 Session Laws wherein the Legislature laid out the specifics for the establishment, operation, and function of county law libraries. This original text reveals that amazingly little has changed to the county law library statute over the years, such as which sectors must be represented on governing boards, how funding is to be provided, and who must be allowed to use the libraries. Keep in mind that this was all back in 1949, predating modern “access to justice” efforts. Of course, what might have been casually called a “county law library” existed in Minnesota prior to this statute, often growing from local bar association libraries. (This was how the Hennepin County Law Library got its start way back in 1883.) But the original statute overwhelmingly set the standards for our modern county law libraries.

Today you can find county law libraries throughout the state, and this brochure from the Minnesota Coalition of County Law Libraries (MCCLL) lists those which offer professional staff to assist users. But history-wise, its not easy to determine when Minnesota’s various county law libraries come to be. Public law libraries existed in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Duluth back in 1955, as evidenced in this article in the Law Library Journal about the founding of the Minnesota Association of Law Libraries (MALL). Since this sort of historical information can be elusive, we would like to know more about the history of your county law library (including this library). If you have any such inside knowledge, please share it with us. And- if you have found the services and resources of your county law library helpful, by all means tell your legislator!

This Week is National Library Week!

On 04.12.17, In Local News, By The Law Librarian

This week the Ramsey County Law Library joins with libraries all across the nation in celebrating National Library Week. The purpose of this event is to celebrate the contributions of libraries and librarians everywhere, as well as to promote library use and support. National Library Week is a brainchild of the American Library Association (ALA), and our library is committed to the principles established in the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

Please come visit our library this week. Besides picking up a free pocket Constitution, you can register to win one of these three excellent legally-inspired books (links below) We will draw the winners at the end of the day Friday (April 14), so register win this week!

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh

Hillbilly Eulegy by J.D. Vance

You May Have Heard of These Other “Second Chances”

On 04.04.17, In Legal News, Local News, By The Law Librarian

We are proud of our local involvement with local criminal expungement resources, but expungement is not the last word in “second chances.” For instance, you may have recently watched HBO’s Rock and a Hard Place, a documentary about Miami-Dade County offenders facing long prison sentences who get the chance to participate in a 16-week bootcamp-style regimen instead. Each of the cadets on this show has been given a choice by their judge: incarceration or rehabilitation. From crew-cuts to pushups, this correction program is modeled on a tough, military-style code of discipline and order, which later includes anger-management instruction and vocational skills training. Creator Dwayne Johnson based this documentary on his own run-ins with the law as a youth. See this excellent review of the show.

We are sometimes asked if Minnesota has such a boot camp-inspired penal model, and he answer is yes! Minnesota’s Challenge Incarceration Program (CIP) provides a similar military-style boot camp experience for offenders, which can potentially shave years from total time to be served. Unlike the Miami model, the state Commissioner of Corrections selects these offenders, not all of which are eligible. A 2006 evaluation showed Minnesota’ CIP to reduce an offender’s chance of reoffending with a new crime by 35%, and also to have reduced costs by over $18 million.

A similar but simpler “second chance” program was featured in last week’s news, this one meant for those with suspended drivers licenses due to unpaid tickets. In these cases, the offenders cannot afford to pay their traffic tickets, which leads to revocation or suspension of licenses. Faced with the choice of not being able to get to work or driving illegally in order to put food on the table, many offenders predictably choose the latter. This Driver Diversion Pilot Program allows offenders to take special driving classes and schedule a payoff for their fines. In return they get their drivers license and insurance reinstated. This pilot program was launched by the legislature for selected cities in 2008, and there is currently a movement to get this program statewide and permanent. The hope is to keep a single traffic infraction from being the factor that ultimately pulls a person down to the point that they no longer have a job and now have a court record to hold them back. This kind of downward spiral is a significant problem, and was considered a major source of the tension behind the Ferguson riots.

A Blast from the Past for Women’s History Month

On 03.16.17, In Local History, Local News, By The Law Librarian

For Women’s History Month, let’s consider an oddly sexist chapter in our local past. As this blog has pointed out before, our state and community have not always been so progressive and forward-thinking as we may like to think. In this particular chapter, the St. Paul City Council had passed Ordinance No. 8604 back in 1945*, which prohibited women (except licensees, wives, or managers if the licensee was serving in the military) from working as bartenders. (One can only speculate as to the council’s motives, but V-E Day had been declared only three days earlier.) Clara Anderson had worked as a bartender at the Frederic Hotel in St. Paul for nine years, but was barred from continuing due to this ordinance. Ramsey District Court Judge Carlton McNally denied her request for a temporary injunction to delay operation of the ordinance, which Ms. Anderson claimed was unconstitutionally discriminatory. In the resulting case of Anderson v. City of St. Paul et al., the Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the ordinance in a tight 4-3 decision. The Court noted that the U.S. Supreme Court had previously held that selling intoxicating liquor for beverage purposes was not a right protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. But it also applied the standard Fourteenth Amendment equal protection litmus test for discrimination, holding that the council need only meet the standard of having a “rational basis” in making its gender-based distinction, and that it had so met this need.

This case illustrates an earlier interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment and its equal protection clause where gender is concerned. The U.S. Supreme Court wouldn’t establish a heightened scrutiny standard against gender discrimination until Craig v. Boren, wherein the Court struck down an Oklahoma statute allowing 18 year-old women to purchase 3.2 beer, but not 18 year-old men. Offending Ordinance No. 8604 has since been stricken from the books, for St. Paul Ordinance Sec. 183.01 now declares that “…[t]he public policy of Saint Paul is to foster equal opportunity for all to obtain employment, education, real property, public accommodations, public services, contract and franchise without regard to their race, creed, religion, sex, sexual or affectional orientation, color, national origin, ancestry, familial status, age, disability, marital status or status with regard to public assistance, and strictly in accord with their individual merits as human beings.”

Attorney Don Lewis

The American Bar Association has designated “The Fourteenth Amendment: Transforming American Democracy” as this year’s Law Day theme. At this time we are pleased to announce that our own Law Day CLE event will take place on May 4 at 3:00 PM here in the Court House in partnership with the Ramsey County Bar Association (RCBA). We are extra-pleased to announce that Minneapolis attorney Don Lewis will speak on Equal Protection of the Laws: The Journey from Jim Crow to Gay Marriage. Mr. Lewis is no stranger to the Second Judicial District, having grown up in St. Paul and recently serving as a special prosecutor for the Ramsey County Attorney’s office. Visit the RCBA website for more information, then mark your calendars for this engaging event!

*Updated May 2020: the St. Paul City Council amended the St. Paul Legislative Code in June of 1970 and removed the provision that prohibited women from working as bartenders. For more information about Clara Anderson’s case, see the article written by Judge John Guthmann, Clara Anderson v. City of St. Paul: A Woman’s Fight to Save Her Job in the Face of Discrimination in the Spring 2020 issue of Ramsey County History Magazine.

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