The Minnesota Supreme Court has put a lawsuit challenging Gov. Tim Pawlenty's solo budget-cutting authority on the fast track, agreeing to hear the case on March 15.
The court agreed on Tuesday to an accelerated review of the case filed by six people on a nutrition program who lost their funding as part of Pawlenty's cuts, known as unallotments.
Late last month, Ramsey County District Court Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin ruled that Pawlenty overstepped his authority when he used his emergency budget-cutting authority last summer to eliminate funding for the tiny program without legislative approval.
Pawlenty appealed the case, saying Gearin misinterpreted the law.
Because the state burns through about $50 million a day, the governor requested a bypass of the appellate level and took his case directly to the state Supreme Court for an expedited review.
Gearin's ruling has much larger ramifications than the nutrition program because it threatens to unravel more than $2.7 billion in cuts Pawlenty made in unallotments.
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