An ongoing
dispute in Minnesota over who said what to whom on the
same-sex marriage issue took a new turn Friday when a Golden
Valley lawyer asked for official investigations into
four current or former supreme court justices. Greg
Wersal said a probe is needed to sort out "grave
questions of ethical violations by members of the state's
highest court."
The controversy
stems from a secretly made recording of senate majority
leader Dean Johnson telling pastors he had assurances from
justices that the current state law would withstand
legal challenges. Johnson was arguing a that
constitutional amendment on same-sex marriage was
unnecessary. He apologized to the senate Monday for making
inaccurate statements about the extent of his talks
with justices, but he hasn't backed off claims that
some conversations took place.
Wersal asked the
Board on Judicial Standards and the Lawyers Board of
Professional Responsibility to investigate Chief Justice
Russell Anderson, Justice G. Barry Anderson, Justice
Paul Anderson, and former chief justice Kathleen
Blatz. "The public needs to know if judges on our
highest court have engaged in unethical conduct by giving
pledges, promises, assurances, or mere hints as to how
they would rule on an issue likely to come before the
court," Wersal wrote in a letter to the two boards. He
released the letter to reporters.
Court spokesman
John Kostouros said he hadn't seen the complaint and
couldn't offer immediate comment. Chief Justice Anderson has
unequivocally denied any conversations occurred between
Johnson and any justices on the marriage issue. The
judicial standards board can dismiss a complaint,
conduct an inquiry, or order a public hearing. If it finds
violations, it's up to the supreme court to impose
sanctions. Proceedings of the 10-member board are
confidential until a hearing is demanded by the judge
or judicial officer who is the subject of an investigation.
(AP)
