By law, the court must issue a decision within 90 days after oral arguments. If no oral argument is held a decision is due within 90 days of the case's scheduled conference date. This deadline is the shortest imposed on any appellate court in the nation. The court expedites decisions on child custody cases, mental health commitments and other matters in which the parties request accelerated response. As part of the court's effort to expedite justice and to make access to the appellate system less burdensome and expensive, the court's 16 judges sit in three-judge panels and travel to locations throughout Minnesota to hear oral arguments.
All oral arguments are open to the public.
With the assistance of a computerized case management system, the court monitors the progress of every appeal to ensure that there are no unnecessary delays in processing cases or releasing decisions. The court demonstrates the value of aggressive, hands-on management of its cases. Other states frequently look to Minnesota as a model for case processing and delay reduction. The Minnesota Court of Appeals hears appeals or reviews cases from all Minnesota district courts. The following information answers the most commonly asked questions about the Minnesota Court of Appeals.