Senate office building gets legal green light

The Minnesota Supreme Court removed a legal barrier Thursday that threatened to block or delay a new government office building for state senators.

The decision effectively ends a court fight that could have delayed an early July groundbreaking on the building to be erected near the Capitol. It is projected to cost $90 million, with taxpayers covering all but $13 million.

Former Republican lawmaker Jim Knoblach was suing to stop it on the grounds that the original legislative approval was faulty. But he couldn't convince the courts to let the case proceed without his guarantee to cover the cost of delays if he lost. An appeals court ruling had required him to post an $11 million surety bond by late May, which he said he wasn't able to do. He asked the Supreme Court to quickly step in, prompting the order.

"The only issue Knoblach raises in his current petition is whether the court of appeals abused its discretion by ordering him to post a surety bond without findings of facts and without identifying the protected public interest," Chief Justice Lorie Gildea wrote for the high court. "This issue does not satisfy the criteria for review in our court."

The building has been a political flashpoint. Republicans say it represents misplaced priorities while Democrats say the structure is needed to relieve crowding in the Capitol, which is undergoing a massive renovation.

Neither Knoblach nor his attorney immediately responded to messages seeking comment. Details about how soon construction would move forward weren't immediately available from the Department of Administration and the Department Minnesota Management and Budget, which respectively would oversee the project and sell the bonds.