A Minnesota Supreme Court ruling made clear that Republicans can’t run the state House on their own, but that doesn’t mean the chamber will get up and running right away.

November's elections left the House in a 67-67 even split, but Democratic Curtis Johnson was ruled ineligible due to residency requirements in District 40B, giving the GOP a temporary 67-66 advantage until a special election – which the DFL is almost certain to win – can be held.

The Minnesota Supreme Court issued an order Friday afternoon saying 68 members of the Minnesota House constitute a quorum, an opinion favoring House Democrats. The Friday, Jan. 24 order, which will be followed by an opinion,

The order should force Republicans back to the table for a power-sharing agreement, likely similar to the state Senate, which is also tied between Democrats and Republicans during what has become a contentious 2025 state House session.

The justices, in a written ruling released Friday afternoon, agreed with House Democratic leaders and Secretary of State Steve Simon who argued that a quorum in the House was 68 members under the state constitution, not the 67 that Republicans claimed. The Supreme Court cited an article in the Minnesota Constitution as part of their reasoning.

They said that in the Minnesota House of Representatives, a quorum, as according to the Minnesota Constitution, based on the current total number of seats is 68.

Justices said a quorum is 68 members, meaning there are not enough Republican House members to do business unless DFLers show up.

At the root of the cases before the justices is a question of whether 67 lawmakers is enough for a quorum when there's a vacancy in the 134-seat House of Representatives.