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SCOTUS Justice Amy Coney Barrett speaks in U of M lecture series
Justice Barrett outlined her judicial philosophy and made news by offering support for a Supreme Court Code of Ethics.
MINNEAPOLIS — Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett appeared Monday on the University of Minnesota campus as a participant in the Robert A. Stein ’61 Lecture Series, where she spoke for an hour and a half about her judicial philosophy, legal background and role on the nation’s highest court.
Early in the lecture, Barrett also made national news by saying she supported a Code of Ethics for the Supreme Court, following reporting by ProPublica that documented the relationship between fellow Justice Clarence Thomas and top Republican donors.
“I think it would be a good idea for us to do it, particularly so that we can communicate to the public exactly what it is that we’re doing, in a clearer way than perhaps we have been able to do so far,” Barrett said. “I will say this: There is no lack of consensus among the justices… that we should and do hold ourselves to the highest standards, highest ethical standards possible.”
The lecture series, moderated by former law school Dean Robert Stein, has featured both conservative and liberal justices dating back to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2014.
“We value both the pursuit of knowledge and the exchange of ideas as fundamental pillars of our society,” University of Minnesota interim President Jeff Ettinger told the audience at packed Northrop Auditorium to open the event. “This lecture epitomizes our commitment to these values.”
Former President Donald Trump appointed Barrett in 2020, solidifying a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court that has since overturned the constitutional right to abortion and ruled that affirmative action violated the Fourteenth Amendment, among other decisions. At the same time, Barrett joined liberal justices in a ruling upholding restrictions on “ghost guns” this year and pushed back on the narrative that the court has overturned more precedent than previous courts.
“I don’t think it’s empirically true to say that we’ve overturned a lot of precedent, but we have overturned precedent, and every court does,” Barrett said. “Overruling precedent is not something to be done lightly. But the court’s own guidelines, that it’s always followed for centuries, recognize that there are times when it’s the court’s duty to do so.”
Barrett did not specifically discuss the details of any high-profile cases in Monday’s lecture, although she more broadly outlined her judicial philosophy of “originalism” — meaning she interprets the Constitution as written and not necessarily as an evolving document. She cited the influence of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, whom she clerked for in the late 1990s.
“Justice Scalia was very well-known for his commitment to both originalism and constitutional interpretation, and textualism and the interpretation of statutes. And I would say you could boil both of those judicial philosophies down to the proposition that the text is the law and the text controls,” Barrett said. “And I share that philosophy.”
Barrett’s appearance at Northrop on Monday was met with protests both outside and inside the auditorium. A group of a half-dozen protestors in the second deck, carrying signs referencing Barrett’s ruling on abortion, shouted “not the court, not the state, people must decide their fate” before police escorted them out of the building. The lecture then continued without interruption.
Student groups had collected online signatures in an attempt to disinvite Barrett from campus, saying that “inviting Justice Barrett to the UMN-TC campus is a backhanded and hypocritical move from an institution that raves about ‘diversity’ and welcoming of ‘an exceptional class of students that is one of the largest and the most diverse in campus history.'”
Professor Stein, the moderator, defended the decision to bring Barrett to campus.
“It’s what a university should be, to explore different points of view, and I’m disappointed they couldn’t stay and hear her explanation of the cases as well,” Stein said. “Hopefully this puts a personality on the court for people and also helps them understand why the court does what it does.”
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Prosecutors say Mychal Allan Stowers was on work release from prison when he shot his pregnant ex-wife, and then shot another man during a carjacking.
ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul police are looking for a man now charged with two counts of second-degree murder after allegedly shooting his ex-wife and her unborn child.
A criminal complaint filed against 37-year-old Mychal Allan Stowers details the two murder counts as well as carjacking and assault charges associated with his getaway.
St. Paul squads were dispatched to 139 Sycamore St. E. just after 9 p.m. Oct. 19 on reports of shots fired. Arriving officers were met by residents who told them they heard gunshots in apartment 3. Police entered the apartment and found a woman laying on the floor surrounded by spent 9mm shell casings. Paramedics responded and declared the victim dead just before 9:30 pm.
Police later identified the victim as 35-year-old Damara Alexis Stowers.
Investigators on the scene found a loaded handgun on a bed in a different bedroom, along with photos from an ultrasound. In the apartment mailbox were two letters, one addressed to the victim and the other to a Mychal Stowers. While officers were in the apartment a cellphone rang, and the contact name that showed was “My$hon Stowers.”
Neighbors described seeing a heavyset man in his late 30s or 40s running from the scene. One told officers he heard four or five shots from the apartment, walked outside, and soon heard two more from a few blocks away.
The owner of the building told police the victim was in the process of being evicted, and that her ex-boyfriend had been living in the apartment with her, which was against the lease.
Additional officers were dispatched to 99 Acker Street, a few blocks from the apartment shooting scene, at around 9:15 p.m. on reports of a carjacking. They found a man who had been shot in the leg, breaking his femur. The victim’s friend said they were standing outside a running vehicle when a heavyset Black male ran up, said something they did not understand and then shot the victim. The assailant then stole the running gray Audi.
The complaint states that on the same day an employee of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office reported that Mychal Stowers called, said he had shot someone and wanted to turn himself in. Despite the call, Stowers did not turn himself in.
Records from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) show Stowers was released from prison in March after serving time for another murder, was on work release and supposed to be living at a halfway house. He had had been granted a pass to visit his “ex-wife” at 139 Sycamore.
Preliminary tests show the same gun fired spent shells recovered at both the murder and carjacking scenes, and the defendant matches descriptions of the shooter from witnesses at both scenes.
At this time Michael Stowers is not in custody.
Donald Edmondson suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest at his north-side apartment building on Nov. 24, 2023.
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man who pleaded guilty to entering another man’s apartment and shooting him to death last year was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office released a statement saying 59-year-old Walter Hill was sentenced on second-degree intentional murder charges in 60-year-old Donald Edmondson’s November 2023 killing.
Prosecutors said Hill was given 337 days of credit for time already served.
“Mr. Edmondson should still be alive,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “A violent act committed with such disregard by Mr. Hill has taken him from his family. This sentence delivers accountability and protects our community, and I hope it brings some measure of peace to Mr. Edmondson’s loved ones as they attempt to move forward with their lives.”
According to police, Edmondson suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest at his north-side apartment building on Nov. 24, 2023.
The attorney’s office said Hill entered his guilty plea Monday.
Turns out, Twin Cities realtor and billboard personality Kris Lindahl is in on the joke.
MINNEAPOLIS — The makers of the video game “Call of Duty” launched a new, locally inspired campaign Friday, coinciding with the release of the franchise’s newest installment, “Black Ops 6.”
Motorists might notice real estate agent Kris Lindahl, famously seen with his arms out over every interstate in town, was replaced by *ahem* “The Replacer,” an Activision character played by actor Peter Stormare.
For the next few weeks, The Replacer will step in for Lindahl not only on billboards but also on advertisements across television, streaming and social media platforms.
But why does Lindahl need The Replacer’s help, you might ask?
So he’s free to play “Black Ops 6,” of course.
The Replacer isn’t new to Minnesota. He also once stepped into the shoes of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
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