Posted: Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Following the lead of the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Minnesota Court of Appeals will begin live broadcasting oral arguments on Tuesday, Sept. 12, which is the start of the court’s 2023-24 term.

Broadcasts of all in-person oral arguments heard at the Minnesota Judicial Center and also in greater Minnesota courtrooms will be available on the Court of Appeals page on the Minnesota Judicial Branch website. Broadcasts will be provided by ZoomGov and linked in the court calendar. To access the court calendar, go to the Court of Appeals webpage and click on the “Calendar” tab.

A recent Minnesota Judicial Branch survey found that litigants, attorneys, and the public strongly support remote viewing of oral arguments.

“This is a great way to expand access to the court’s public hearings, including by providing a more flexible option for litigants to observe oral argument in their appeal,” said Miriam Friesen, court administrator for the Court of Appeals. “Livestreaming arguments gives people a real-time look into how the appeals process works and how judges explore complicated legal issues.”

Established in 1983, the Court of Appeals reviews more than 2,000 decisions by trial courts, state agencies, and local governments each year. As the error-correcting court, it handles most of the state’s legal appeals, leaving the Minnesota Supreme Court free to resolve difficult constitutional and public policy cases.

In an effort to expedite justice and make access to the appellate system less burdensome and expensive, the Court’s 19 judges sit in three-judge panels and travel to locations throughout Minnesota to hear oral arguments.

By law, the Court of Appeals must issue a decision within 90 days of 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 of Appeals makes the final ruling in roughly 95% of appellate cases each year. Typically, about five percent of the Court’s cases are accepted by the Minnesota Supreme Court for further review.

For more information about the Court of Appeals, please visit the Court of Appeals page on the Minnesota Judicial Branch website.