The Minnesota Judicial Council has approved a new framework for district court hearings, marking a significant shift in how justice is delivered across the state. This decision aims to standardize the approach to in-person and remote hearings while allowing flexibility for local courts.
Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson emphasized the importance of this development, stating, “This new hearing framework builds on all of the lessons we learned from the pandemic.” She noted that feedback was collected from over 5,500 individuals involved in the judicial process to ensure that the system meets public needs effectively.
The framework consists of three main components:
1. Hearings will have default settings—either in-person or remote—based on case type. Courts will adhere to these defaults unless exceptions are made by judicial officers or through established deviation plans.
2. Judicial officers retain the authority to adjust hearing settings based on specific case requirements without needing formal orders or findings. Exceptions can be requested by parties involved or initiated by the court itself.
3. Requests for deviations from statewide default settings can be made by agencies, districts, counties, and court divisions under certain conditions. These requests require approval from the Judicial Council.
This policy will take effect on February 3, 2025, allowing time for courts to adapt and schedule hearings accordingly.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota's district courts extensively utilized online platforms for hearings. Surveys conducted during this period indicated strong support for continuing remote hearings due to reduced barriers such as travel and work absences.
In response to this feedback, the oneCourtMN Hearings Initiative Policy was introduced in June 2022 as a temporary measure. The newly adopted permanent framework builds upon this initiative and reflects ongoing efforts to integrate both in-person and remote hearings into Minnesota’s justice system.