The Minnesota Legislature is slated to return on Jan. 14, 2025 for the new legislative session. Among other things, members of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate will be pushing policy, crafting a new two-year budget, going to committee appointments, and holding meetings with constituents and lobbyists.
However, the second full week of the 2025 legislative session (Jan. 27-31) may also see a current state lawmaker, Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, stand trial for burglary.
Sen. Mitchell was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary, a felony, in April after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s house in Detroit Lakes, Minn. Despite the charges, Mitchell has stated that she does not intend to resign.
The Woodbury state senator pled not guilty in the burglary case last month.
Should the trial take place in late January as currently scheduled, the upcoming legislative session will be notably affected.
Currently, the Minnesota Senate is evenly divided; 33 Democrats, 33 Republicans, and one vacant seat. The vacant seat will be filled via a special election that will occur on Election Day this November. While either party might win the open seat, Democrats are generally favored in that race.
As such, Democrats could have a Senate majority of just one seat when the Minnesota Legislature reconvenes next year. If Sen. Mitchell is absent due to her trial in Becker County next January, then a potential DFL majority could be significantly hamstrung.
While the trial is currently scheduled for five days in late January of 2025, court records also indicate that a settlement conference is set for Dec. 31 of this year.
Alpha News reached out to the law firm representing Sen. Mitchell, Ringstrom Dekrey, and the Becker County Attorney’s Office to see if they expect to go to trial but did not receive a response.
Meanwhile, the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC) has filed an appeal on behalf of Alpha News of the district court’s denial of a request for the release of police body-camera video of Sen. Mitchell’s arrest.
Allie Howell, an attorney for UMLC, said the bodycam video is crucial for public accountability.
“Using her preeminent position, [Mitchell] has made numerous public statements which appear to contradict the government’s charging documents. Without clarity about who is lying and who is telling the truth, Minnesotans are unable to hold one of their elected officials accountable,” Howell said. “And, importantly, the Minnesota Senate has been unable to move forward on an ethics complaint filed against Sen. Mitchell.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
