January 28, 1998 - Sandy Keith retires as Minnesota's Chief Justice tomorrow (Thursday). The Rochester native is one of the few who've helped shape Minnesota from all three branches of government--as state senator, lieutenant governor and supreme court justice. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki has this profile of the outgoing chief justice. In 1946 Sandy Keith tried to shake off the dirt from what he called the hick town of Rochester and move on to bigger and better things. Keith, the son of a mayo clinic physician, headed east and obtained degrees from Amherst and Yale. After a stint as a Marine lieutenant during the Korean war, Keith returned to Rochester taking a job as an attorney in Mayo Clinic's legal department. His boss was Harry Blackmun who would later become a U-S Supreme Court Justice. Politics was always a topic of discussion in his parents' household but Keith's interest flared in the 1950's when he won a seat in the state senate. Don
January 27, 1998 - Attorneys for tobacco companies are expected to finish their opening arguments this morning in Minnesota's landmark tobacco trial. The state's attorney told jurors yesterday the tobacco industry deceived the public about the dangers of smoking and put profits before health. The State and Blue Cross Blue Shield are suing the industry for nearly two-billion dollars in smoking-related health care costs. Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: The state's attorney Mike Ciresi told jurors minnesota's case comes down to what the industry knew about the dangers of smoking; when it knew it and what it did about it. He stood at a podium, spoke deliberately for about two hours and never veered far from his notes. The courtroom was packed with attorneys, public officials such as the attorney general and the u-s attorney and local and national media including the wall street journal and the LA times.
January 19, 1998 - The State's lead attorney in Minnesota's lawsuit against the tobacco companies disrupted a tobacco industry press conference today. Michael Ciresi crashed the briefing...calling it inappropriate on the eve of jury selection. what ensued was a discussion between Ciresi and Philip Morris officials Michael York and John Sorrells.
January 12, 1998 - Florida and Mississippi have settled their tobacco cases out of court which fuels speculation of a Minnesota settlement before trial next week. The State and Blue Cross Blue Shield are suing the major tobacco companies to recoup smoking-related health care costs.
December 9, 1997 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki reports on the disturbing history of Canton Insane Asylum…and of the dead from institution that are now buried in the middle of city's Hiawatha golf course.
September 2, 1997 - The Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments today on whether the state can enforce traffic and driving-related laws on the White Earth Reservation. The hearing combined nine cases ranging from speeding to driving without insurance. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, the case goes beyond traffic offenses and strikes at the heart of a tribe's ability to govern itself.
August 26, 1997 - A federal appeals court has decided one of the most contentious legal questions in Minnesota history and has found the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe has the right to hunt, fish and gather off reservation free from state regulation. The three judge panel says an 1837 treaty remains good law and is still in effect. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
August 21, 1997 - A federal appeals court says a southwestern Minnesota school can operate a school that models its curriculum on the beliefs of a religious group. As Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Collins reports, the court ruled in the case of the Wabasso school district which operated a school primarily for students of the "Brethren" religious sect and modified the curriculum based on their religious beliefs.
June 25, 1997 - The U.S. Supreme court has reinstated the insider trading convictions of former Minneapolis attorney James O'Hagan. O'Hagan pocketed more than four-million-dollars in illegal stock trades after he learned through his law firm that Grand Metropolitan PLC planned a takeover of Pillsbury. Typically when a takeover announcement goes public, the stock of a target company soars. Pillsbury's stock climbed $21 a share when its takeover announcement went public. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
June 23, 1997 - A divided Supreme Court has ruled states can confine violent sexual offenders even after they've served their prison sentences if they have a personality disorder and are likely to commit future sex crimes. As Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, the high court's 5-to-4 ruling of a Kansas case closes the door further on convicted rapist Dennis Linehan's challenge of a similar Minnesota law.