Supremes, spotlight and sanctions

By Rochelle Olson

This will be a zippy Thursday Hot Dish because I've got to skeedaddle to the state Supreme Court for oral arguments in the Growe v. Simon petition. That's the effort to use the U.S. Constitution's insurrection clause to DQ former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot. The hour-plus arguments are livestreamed so the five hearing the case will be in a bright national spotlight.

I had an immersive experience on the constitutional issues at the U of M's law school seminar Monday and at a dinner with many of the visiting professors Sunday night. It was quite a trip, to steal a quote from U prof Alan Rozenshtein.

I also finally got to meet St. Thomas School of Law Professor Michael Stokes Paulsen, who co-wrote the viral law review article saying Trump is ineligible. (102,000 plus visits. They're hoping to hit 105K so help them out.) As they researched and wrote it, Paulsen said he and co-author William Baude, a University of Chicago Law professor, said they wondered if a) They'd be able to find a publisher and b) Anyone would read it. If you ever have a chance to see Paulsen speak or take one of his courses, do it. Paulsen lives up to Rozenshtein's description of him as a Con Law rock star.

The academics parsed every bit of Section 3 that they could, but there's no consensus on what the courts will do other than a suspicion they will use a procedural exit hatch to avoid deciding the matter on the merits. Ilya Somin, constitutional law professor at George Mason University and chairman of Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, said if it goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, "There's a 50-50 chance there will be five votes in favor of disqualification." You'll have to read my story to find out who they may be. Arguments start at 10 a.m. in St. Paul. Livestream here.

RIDIN' BIDEN: Leaving the cozy confines of the courts, President Joe Biden started his national barnstorming tour at Dutch Creek Farms in southern Dakota County on Wednesday, seeking to draw attention to his rural record and scour for votes. There were lots of green John Deeres in the images and Gov. Tim Walz was in the front row, wearing a barn coat and "Minnesota Grown" baseball cap. Colleague Christopher Vondracek reports that Walz clapped and laughed the loudest at Biden's lines. (Side note: aviation geeks got to see not just Air Force One but also Marine One, the presidential helicopter. Nice to have a fleet of personal aircraft for travelling. Check out the photos.)

When a baby started fussing during the speech, Vondracek reports that Biden paused, turned to the parents and said, "It's okay. Kids are allowed to do that to me."

The visit caused multiple protests over Gaza. Muslim leaders from the Twin Cities launched an "Abandon Biden" campaign, saying they have given up on the president and will encourage Muslim Americans to vote for other candidates because Biden did not call for a cease-fire by the Tuesday deadline set by the group.

NO SANCTIONS: The U.S. House declined to expel Rep. George Santos or censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Re Santos, the final tally was179 for expulsion and 213 against with his fellow New York Republicans most eager to distance themselves from his fabrications of his life story, accusations of stealing from donors, lying to Congress and receiving unemployment benefits he did not deserve.

Tlaib, D-Michigan and the only Palestinian-American in the House, was considered for censure based on her comments about the situation between Israel and Gaza. A censure is one step below expulsion. The effort was dismissed with broad bipartisan support as both parties raised concerns about violating First Amendment rights.

Minnesota angle: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted "Think about how frequently Congress raises the prospect of publicly disciplining the only two Muslim women here (today considered censure), and compare that to the ease in which this Rep unfurls bigotry on the House floor." Tweet and clip here.

COURT WATCH: Keeping all the pending court cases against Trump straight is a tough task. Don Jr. testified in New York on Wednesday in the civil fraud matter where the former president is accused of inflating his net worth for business benefit. Don Jr. denied knowledge of documents even though he was supposedly overseeing Trump Organization assets while his dad was president. Ivanka Trump and Trump himself are to testify in coming days.

WHERE'S WALZ:

He has calls at 9 and 9:10 a.m. with AIT and Solugen leadership. At 10 a.m., he's interviewing an executive director candidate for the Clemency Review Commission and then has a call with Attorney General Keith Ellison. He's speaking at an event recognizing organizations for their work promoting tax credits for Minnesotans and meeting with University of St. Thomas President Rob Vischer. All events are closed to the media.

READING LIST

  • Crime was down 22% on Metro Transit buses, trains and stations over the summer and early fall, Janet Moore reports, but leaders say they still have far to go.
  • CenterPoint and Xcel want to raise gas rates 9%, Walker Orenstein reports (!!!!!). That's right, Mr. Orenstein has brought his considerable skills from MinnPost to the Star Tribune and we are most excited to have him. Note: Best way to welcome him is to send him tips: Walker.Orenstein@startribune.com.
  • Proposed Ohio amendment is preview of 2024 as voters decide whether to enshrine abortion access in the state's constitution.
  • Senate Republicans confronted Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., over his blocking of military promotions in a late-night squall.
  • Please wish Minnesota State Patrol puppy Maty a swift recovery. He went too hard for his reward during training and landed in sick bay.
  • Also, not to be missed, colleague Carlos Gonzalez's fun photo of Crunch shaking a furry hand with Lil Yachty.
  • November doesn't get a lot of love, but it's my birthday month so GOOD VIBES ONLY and it's going to be back in the 50s late next week. Cheers.

Keep us posted at hotdish@startribune.com.

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