Judge grants Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s request to delay trial until after legislative session

(KSTP) — Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s bid to push her burglary trial until after the legislative session is over has been granted, according to an order filed on Friday.

Mitchell, who is accused of breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home last April, was originally scheduled to stand trial beginning on Jan. 28. Her trial will now commence “within 60 days of May 19, 2025,” when the Legislature is due to finish its business.

However, tight margins in the House and Senate and a mandate to pass a biennial budget this year could push the actual end of the session into June.

A memorandum attached to the order acknowledges that Minnesota law grants “substantive” privilege to members of the Legislature, particularly when it comes to any court proceeding that could interfere with the legislative session.

“The privilege ensures that legislators can fulfill their duties to the people of Minnesota and ensures that their constituents are represented during the session,” Becker County District Judge Michael Fritz wrote.

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