Matthew Quinn Reprimanded

Matthew Quinn, a Mille Lacs County District Court judge in Minnesota, was reprimanded by the state Board on Judicial Standards after declaring a new state law restoring voting rights to people with felony convictions unconstitutional — in sentencing orders for two offenders, telling them they were not eligible to vote or register, even though the new law said they were. Neither case before him had asked him to rule on the law's constitutionality; he raised and decided the issue unprompted. The law had restored voting rights to more than 55,000 Minnesotans who previously couldn't vote while on felony probation. This was Quinn's second reprimand from the Board. He had previously been disciplined for publicly expressing support for then-President Donald Trump and making critical comments about President Joe Biden — a separate violation of the rules limiting judges' political speech.