The Quadriga
Law Journal of Public Policy and Practice

In the wake of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death earlier this fall, it is important to reflect back on her legal journey towards equality, which led to her being named the second woman on the Supreme Court. Aside from being a legal giant, the “Notorious R.B.G.” was a cultural and feminist icon who lived an extraordinary …

Remembering the Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Amanda Teske

This article by Adela Carrasco and Todd Howland outlines the current international human rights obligations related to the right to vote found in human rights treaties the U.S. has signed and ratified. The authors demonstrate that there are five ways the U.S. fails to meet these human rights laws and how each failing has a …

Minnesota Should Lead The U.S.’s Unfinished Journey From Slavery To Granting All U.S. Citizens The Right To Vote

Mindy Greiling, former Minnesota State Representative - The hardest I ever worked to get a law passed during my twenty years in the Minnesota Legislature was a mental health policy bill reforming the civil commitment statutes. The new law made it a bit easier to get care—through civil courts—for people with serious mental illness whose brains didn’t allow them to realize they were ill. To my disappointment, it wasn’t always implemented consistently.

Does a Law No One Knows About Have Any Effect?

State Representative Kelly Moller ’98 - All Minnesotans deserve to feel safe in their communities. Students and teachers deserve to feel safe in schools, employees deserve to feel safe at work, and families deserve to feel safe while seeing a movie, worshipping, or enjoying an afternoon at the mall. Unfortunately, attacks on innocent people carried out by someone with a firearm have led to tragic deaths and a loss of security for many. Our gun violence epidemic is real, and as a prosecutor, is something I see repeatedly. As a state legislator, the need to take action is an issue I constantly hear about from constituents.

Do Red Flag Laws Strike a Balance Between Second Amendment Rights and Countering Domestic Terrorism?

State Senator Scott J. Newman ’73 - Red flag laws can be described as the attempt to prohibit the possession of, and remove access to, firearms owned by individuals who may have a propensity to harm themselves or others. These laws are motivated by a desire to proactively protect the public from gun violence.  Proponents generally argue that red flag laws will prevent homicides, suicides, and mass shootings, particularly when resulting from mental illness.

Are Red Flag Laws Right for Minnesota?

By State Senator Jason Rarick. The future of mining on the Iron Range has taken a couple of hits in the last month. At the end of December, at the behest of Ramsey County Congresswoman Betty McCollum and environmental activists, a federal spending bill gave the State Department 60 days for another review of the potential effects of Twin Metals’ proposed copper-nickel mine in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Mining the Iron Range: What If Economic Growth and Environmental Responsibility Could Co-Exist?

By David Schultz, Professor, Departments of Political Science and Legal Studies, Hamline University and Visiting Professor of Law, University of Minnesota. Who Really Counts? The Role of the 2010 Census in the 2020 Elections.

The Role of the Census in the 2020 Elections

By Shane Zahrt ’16. Attorney & Senior Lobbyist, Flaherty & Hood. Minnesota’s Clean Energy future arrives, state and local policy makers grapple with how to support those it leaves behind.

Life After Smokestacks: Power Plant Host Communities Brace for the Clean Energy Future

By State Representative Jean Poppe Chair of the Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy Division Committee, Minnesota House. Minnesota’s farmers have faced an array of issues this past year, from weather-related property losses to destructive trade wars and another year of low commodity prices. The Midwest is witnessing the loss of dairy farms at an alarming rate. Optimism wanes as farmers face a multitude of issues, created by nature and weather challenges and compounded by man-made policies which have veered off-course from providing support to our agricultural economy.

The Future of Minnesota’s Agricultural Economy and What the Legislature Is Doing about It

By State Senator Matt D. Klein, District 52, Minnesota Senate The story of Alec Smith’s death has crystallized public opinion on insulin pricing, and for all the right reasons. Alex Smith was a young man who was born with diabetes and without the financial means to pay the bill for insulin. Yet insulin remains inexpensive to produce and vastly overpriced by an unregulated pharmaceutical industry.

Insulin Access, Is This a Market Failure That Policy Can Correct? A DFL Perspective