Opinion ID: 2205861
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Validity of the 2002 Appointment.

Text: Judge Minge was appointed to the court of appeals on April 24, 2002, effective May 15, 2002. At the time, Judge Minge resided in Montevideo, which was then within the second congressional district as designated after the 1990 census, but was within the seventh congressional district under the redistricting order filed, March 19, 2002. Petitioner argues that Judge Minge's appointment to the court of appeals in April 2002 was invalid because he was not a resident of the second congressional district as that district was redrawn in the 2002 redistricting order. [3] Petitioner contends that the redistricting order applied to this appointment because the order was effective immediately and was therefore effective not just for future elections, but also for future appointments. He contends that if Judge Minge had been running for election from the second congressional district, he would not have been eligible, and he should not be treated differently just because he was appointed to the office: Respondents contend that petitioner's argument that the realigned congressional districts became effective for appointment purposes immediately upon the filing of the March 19, 2002 order of the redistricting panel is wrong. Rather, respondents contend that the order had only prospective effect, beginning with the next election cycle. They point out that the order itself explained that it was applicable to future elections: Because we previously held that the current congressional districts are inappropriate for use in future elections, see Scheduling Order No. 2, supra, at 2, we enjoin the defendants and the class of election officials they represent from conducting congressional elections using the current congressional districts or any congressional redistricting plan other than that which we hereby adopt. Zachman v. Kiffmeyer, No. C0-01-160, at 9 (Minn. Spec. Redist. Panel March 19, 2002) (Final Order Adoption a Congressional Redistricting Plan) (emphasis added). Respondents also cite statutes, e.g., Minn.Stat. § 204B.14, subd. 1a (2002) (stating that redistricting should be accomplished in time to allow precinct boundaries to be redrawn for election years ending in two), case law, e.g., State ex rel. Norwood v. Holden, 45 Minn. 313, 47 N.W. 971 (1891) (holding that an order redistricting a county was merely prospective as to qualifications of county commissioners and did not affect the right to office of those previously elected), and Opinions of the Attorney General, e.g., Op. Att'y Gen., No. 126-F (Jan. 4, 1932) (stating that redrawn county districts were effective only at the next general election and not for the purpose of filling a vacancy caused by the death of a commissioner after the redistricting order was filed), that establish the prospective character of redistricting orders. Based on this authority, respondents contend that the March 19, 2002 redistricting order did not become effective until the 2002 elections, and therefore the existing congressional district boundaries applied at the time of Judge Minge's appointment. They conclude that because Judge Minge resided in the then-existing second congressional district, his appointment was proper. Petitioner argues that the authority respondent cites is distinguishable because it all addresses the effect of redistricting on current terms of office. Petitioner argues that in contrast, Judge Crippen's term expired when he left office and Judge Minge was appointed to a new term of office. [4] Petitioner asks that the redistricting order apply to all newly-elected and newly-appointed offices after the date of the order. Petitioner's argument that the new congressional district boundaries should have been applied in appointing a successor for Judge Crippen is mistaken. The issue must be viewed not just in terms of applicability of the redistricting order to future elections, but its applicability to those holding office and when those district boundaries became effective in terms of holding office. Respondents are correct in pointing out that redistricting orders have consistently been held to apply to future elections and obviously do not change the boundaries with regard to incumbent office holders. The significant point is that although the subsequent elections are held based on the redistricting order, the redrawn congressional districts do not take effect in terms of sitting office holders until the term of office begins following that next set of elections. That is, when the successful candidates at the election subsequent to redistricting take office, they do so as the representatives of the redrawn districts, and those districts therefore become effective for purposes of holding office at that time, not earlier. Thus, until the congressional representatives elected based on the new boundaries took office, the congressional districts remained configured, for purposes of current officeholders, as they had been prior to the redistricting order. Accordingly, at the time Judge Minge was appointed, the second congressional district was still configured as it had been before the redistricting order, both with respect to the member of congress representing that district and with respect to Governor Ventura's appointment of a judge who resided in that district. Petitioner bases his argument that the governor could not make an appointment to the court of appeals based on the preexisting congressional district lines in part on the argument that those boundaries were not constitutionally valid after the special redistricting panel issued its final order. The fallacy in this argument is that the constitutional aspect of the panel's ruling was of no relevance to a judicial appointment. The congressional districts had to be redrawn after the 2000 census to satisfy the constitutional one-person, one-vote standard. See Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 568, 84 S.Ct. 1362, 12 L.Ed.2d 506 (1964). However, the one-person, one-vote requirement does not apply to judicial elections because judges do not serve in a truly representative capacity. See Holshouser v. Scott, 335 F.Supp. 928, 930 (M.D.N.C.1971) (We find no case where the Supreme Court, a Circuit Court, or a District Court has applied the `one man, one vote' principle or rule to the judiciary.), aff'd, 409 U.S. 807, 93 S.Ct. 43, 34 L.Ed.2d 68 (1972). Instead, the legislature provided in section 480A.02, subdivision 3, for designation of some of the court of appeals seats by congressional district, not so that judges would represent the constituents in those districts, but simply to utilize those districts and their boundaries as established benchmarks for providing geographic diversity on the court. The legislature could as easily have used the state's judicial district boundaries for that purpose. Indeed, voting for district-designated court of appeals seats is statewide, rather than by district, negating any narrow representational design. See Minn.Stat. § 480A.02, subd. 4 (2002) (All judges [of the court of appeals] shall be subject to statewide election, whether they serve in at-large or congressional district seats.). See also Dusch v. Davis, 387 U.S. 112, 115-16, 87 S.Ct. 1554, 18 L.Ed.2d 656 (1967) (rejecting one-person, one-vote challenge to election of city council members based on residence in unequally populated boroughs because despite the borough residency requirement, voting for all candidates was city-wide, and therefore the plan used boroughs merely as the basis of residence for candidates, not for voting or representation.) Because the congressional districts serve only this geographical, rather than a representational, purpose with respect to court of appeals seats, the fact that the existing boundaries would be unconstitutional as applied to future elections had no impact on their viability for purposes of a present gubernatorial appointment. For these reasons, we conclude that the 2002 appointment was properly based on the existing second congressional district, rather than the redrawn district. Judge Minge therefore satisfied the residency requirement at the time of his appointment. Two of petitioner's claims are premised on his argument that the 2002 appointment of Judge Minge was invalid. Because we conclude that the appointment was valid, those claims must fail. First, petitioner's contention that Judge Minge is not eligible to run for the second congressional district seat in this election because he does not satisfy the residency requirement is based on the invalid-appointment argument. Petitioner contends that because Judge Minge was not properly appointed to the second congressional district seat in 2002, he cannot take advantage of the change of residence exception to the residency requirement in Minn.Stat. § 480A.02, subd. 3, for [a] judge who is elected or appointed to a congressional district seat. Because Judge Minge was validly appointed to the second congressional district seat in 2002, under section 480A.02, subdivision 3, he continues to be eligible for that seat without regard to any change of residence. Second, petitioner argues that even if Judge Minge is allowed to remain on the ballot, he should not be designated on the ballot as the incumbent as provided in Minn.Stat. § 204B.36, subd. 5, because due to the invalidity of his appointment, he cannot be considered a candidate to succeed again. Because the appointment was valid, this argument too must fail.