Opinion ID: 2205861
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Guaranty Clause.

Text: Petitioner claims that the statutory structure of limiting candidates to residents of a congressional district while allowing statewide voting for the position violates Art. IV, § 4, of the United States Constitution, which guarantees a republican form of government (the Guaranty Clause). In addition, petitioner argues that allowing an incumbent judge to move out of the congressional district deprives voters of the right to be represented for a fixed term, which petitioner contends also violates the Guaranty Clause. Respondents argue that the Guaranty Clause does not require any particular method for election of judges and cite two federal district court cases rejecting Guaranty Clause challenges to a state's method of electing judges. Petitioner does not cite any cases that directly support his Guaranty Clause claims. The conclusive and unavoidable flaw in petitioner's Guaranty Clause argument is that the United States Supreme Court has long and consistently held that Guaranty Clause claims do not present justiciable controversies that can be adjudicated by the courts. Rather, the Guaranty Clause provides a political guarantee that must be addressed through the political process. See, e.g., Baker v. Carr, 369 U.S. 186, 223, 82 S.Ct. 691, 7 L.Ed.2d 663 (1962); Luther v. Borden, 48 U.S. (7 How.) 1, 12 L.Ed. 581 (1849). As respondents point out, this court has followed the Supreme Court's lead in holding that Guaranty Clause claims present a political question not to be adjudicated by the courts. State ex rel. Peterson v. Quinlivan, 198 Minn. 65, 74, 268 N.W. 858, 863 (1936). Given the long-established Supreme Court precedent, petitioner's Guaranty Clause claims are without merit.