Issues strong ruling on omnibus bill

In a significant victory for the Minnesota Constitution and the rule of law, the Minnesota District Court today ruled in favor of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus in a lawsuit brought by the Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC). The court found that the 2024 Omnibus Bill violated the Minnesota Constitution’s Single Subject Clause.

The ruling, issued by Judge Leonardo Castro, permanently enjoins Minnesota state officials from enforcing a provision of the bill that would have banned “binary triggers” on firearms. The court ordered the provision to be immediately severed from the rest of the 1,400-page omnibus bill.

“Today’s ruling is a significant victory for constitutional governance and for the citizens of Minnesota,” said UMLC President Doug Seaton. “The court was clear in its message: This was a legislative abuse of power that undermines the entire lawmaking process. While the binary trigger ban is a meaningful win for our clients and the Second Amendment, the judge’s ruling sets a powerful precedent that these types of constitutional violations will not be tolerated.”

The lawsuit challenged the 2024 Omnibus Bill as a classic example of “logrolling”—the legislative practice of bundling dozens of unrelated topics into a single, massive bill. The court’s memorandum detailed how the bill began as a 40-page tax bill before experiencing a “metamorphosis” into a sprawling piece of legislation containing over a dozen disparate subjects.

While the court severed only the challenged binary trigger provision, Judge Castro’s opinion delivered a clear rebuke to the legislature, warning that the bill’s constitutional infirmities remain.

Judge Castro wrote:

“When surveying the 1,400-plus pages, 73 articles, and more than a dozen disparate topics that comprise the 2024 Omnibus Bill… one cannot help but conclude that Justice Anderson’s concerns were apt, and that the Otto court’s confidence was misplaced. In this case, severance of the challenged portion alone will not bring the 2024 Omnibus Bill into constitutional compliance—not even close. Instead, that burden will be shifted to the people and businesses of Minnesota who will be forced to bring hundreds of lawsuits over the next few years… to hack off, piece by piece, its many offending portions.”

About Upper Midwest Law Center

The Upper Midwest Law Center is a non-profit public interest law firm committed to upholding constitutional rights and the rule of law. UMLC advocates for the protection of individual liberties and the preservation of constitutional principles through strategic litigation and advocacy efforts.