A lawyer may not, “knowingly disobey an obligation under the rules of a tribunal.” Rule 3.4(c), Minn. R. Prof. Conduct (MRPC). When does a lawyer deserve discipline for violating a procedural rule, such as a filing deadline? The answer is important, because the 2019 Minnesota Rules of Court book has 1,303 pages of rules.
On March 6, 2019, the Minnesota Supreme Court answered this question, reversing a private admonition. The Court’s opinion and the oral argument colloquies show careful analysis, high principle, and common sense. [i] Serendipitously, the Court also resolved a constitutional, due process issue raised in another, otherwise unrelated, admonition. ...