Minn. Supreme Court to livestream oral arguments

Minnesota's highest court is taking a big step to increase transparency by livestreaming oral arguments.

Beginning next week, the Minnesota Supreme Court intends to offer live video streams of oral arguments held at the Judicial Center and in its state Capitol courtroom. That's a change from past practice where video of arguments were available only after the fact.

"The Minnesota Supreme Court is committed to maintaining the public's trust in our Court, and ensuring the openness and accessibility of our public proceedings," said Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea. "By livestreaming our oral arguments, we hope to give more Minnesotans the opportunity to see their highest Court in action, and to learn more about how our Court considers and decides the important legal matters that come before us."

The first case where the livestreaming comes into play is an important one.

On Monday, lawyers for the Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton will present arguments over a disputed line-item veto. A lower court ruled Dayton overstepped his authority when he canceled funding for the House and Senate.

The court dives into its regular case calendar in September.

Video recording of trial court cases is still limited and remains at the discretion of judges assigned to those cases, usually in consultation with attorneys.