The state Supreme Court ruled as constitutional Friday the law under which Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The emergency is long over but the courts still sought to answer the question of whether the Emergency Management Act is constitutional.
The emergency act gives the governor broad authority to respond quickly during crises, Justice Gordon Moore wrote for the court.
“A delicate balance must be struck to ensure that Minnesotans are protected from both government overreach and emergent threats to their health,” the ruling said, adding that the act doesn’t unconstitutionally usurp the authority of the Legislature.
“Although the separation of powers is a critical piece of our constitutional infrastructure, we cannot blind ourselves to the need for some degree of flexibility when delineating the boundaries of each governmental branch,” Moore wrote.