Courts

Jury gets the case in federal trial of St. Paul cop charged with excessive force
Prosecutors described officer Brett Palkowitsch as a bully who bragged about injuring Frank Baker to fellow officers. Defense attorneys say the prosecution lied when portraying Palkowitsch as the only officer who saw Baker as a threat.
Judge blocks Justice Department's plan to resume federal executions
Executions had been set to resume next month after a 16-year pause. A federal judge halted the sentences as inmates challenge the government's lethal injection protocol.
St. Paul police officer testified he thought man he kicked had a gun
Officer Brett Palkowitsch, charged with a civil rights violation for kicking a man who was being bitten by a police dog, testified Wednesday that he thought the man had a gun.
Hennepin County’s first labor-trafficking case ends in guilty plea
A construction contractor accused of exploiting immigrant workers was supposed to face criminal charges in a first-of-its-kind trial in Hennepin County this week. But Batres, 47, instead pleaded guilty Monday to labor trafficking and insurance fraud.
Chief justice orders delay in House fight for Trump records
It follows a filing by the House earlier Monday in which the House agreed to a brief halt for the orderly filing of legal briefs, while opposing any lengthy delay.
Contractor accused of trafficking unauthorized workers faces trial
Labor-trafficking cases are rarely prosecuted in Minnesota. The case of Ricardo Batres, who prosecutors say exploited unauthorized immigrants who worked for him, is the first of its kind to go to trial in Hennepin County.
Court to rehear law on adoptions of Native American children
A federal appeals court announced Thursday that it will take a second look at an emotionally fraught lawsuit governing the adoption of Native American children. A Minnesota family is among the plaintiffs.
Judge rejects moral-objection rule for abortion providers
The decision came after 19 states, the District of Columbia, three local governments, health organizations and others sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The rule let clinicians object to providing abortions and other services that conflict with their moral and religious beliefs.