Judicial board reprimands Minnesota judge who tried to bar formerly incarcerated felons from voting

The Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards reprimanded a rural central Minnesota judge who tried to issue orders barring individuals from voting in the fall election because they were on probation related to felony convictions, despite a new state law that restores their voting rights as long as they’re no longer incarcerated.

The reprimand, issued Thursday, said Judge Matthew Quinn “did not comply with, uphold, or apply Minnesota Statutes.”

“Instead, acting on his own initiative, he deliberately and intentionally decided to make the amended voting eligibility statute inapplicable to defendants on probation in felony cases by … declaring it unconstitutional,” reads the reprimand.

In October, Quinn declared that law “unconstitutional” in a series of unexpected supplemental sentencing orders for at least six individuals on probation with felony convictions. In the identical orders, he said they are prohibited from “registering to vote, or voting, or attempting to vote.”

“To do so is a criminal act which can be investigated, charged, and prosecuted in the normal course,” he wrote at the time.

The move prompted outrage from DFL officials, who said it flew in the face of the law intended to restore voting rights for more than 55,000 individuals. The state Court of Appeals ruled in November that Quinn exceeded his authority when he tried to block them from voting in the upcoming election.

The Board on Judicial Standards also received a complaint concerning Quinn’s conduct and investigated the complaint. In early June, the Board issued a notice of proposed public reprimand and conditions to Quinn, who waived his right to demand a formal complaint and public hearing. Their public reprimand is final.

“Judge Quinn’s probation sentencing orders unfairly limited defendants’ voting rights, ruling that the Minnesota Constitution prohibited them from voting while on probation, and threatening prosecution or imposition of stayed prison time if they attempted to exercise their voting rights restored under the amended law,” read the reprimand.

Quinn, appointed to the court by former DFL Gov. Mark Dayton in 2017, was issued a separate public reprimand from the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards in 2021 for liking posts on Facebook endorsing candidates for office, as well as the official page for former President Donald Trump and numerous posts supporting his campaign. He was also tagged in photos participating in a Trump boat parade.