ST. PAUL, Minn. – Today, Speaker-designate Melissa Hortman announced her appointment of state Rep. John Lesch (DFL – St. Paul) as the chair of the newly reconstituted House Judiciary Finance & Civil Law Division. The appointment comes as the House DFL Caucus takes over the majority in the chamber and with this change, a new roster of standing committees and chairs.
“All Minnesotans – no matter their demographic background, geographic location, or financial standing – deserve access to justice. Unfortunately, many folks face significant barriers to this,” Rep. Lesch said. “As chair of the Judiciary Committee, I’ll work diligently to remove these barriers, and ensure the basic principle of fairness can be found both in our justice system and within the public policy we produce.”
The committee will fund the state’s justice system, which includes the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, Uniform Laws Commission, Specialty Courts, Board of Public Defense, POST Board, Private Detective Board, and Guardians ad Litem, and will also review all policies affecting civil law and data practices, the latter whose jurisdiction previously fell under its own committee - for which Rep. Lesch served as the ranking member.
Because the state’s justice system has a deep impact on criminal justice inequities, Rep. Lesch anticipates collaborating with new Public Safety Committee Chair Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL – St. Paul) to make progress on criminal justice reforms.
“We have the capacity to enact some good, bipartisan solutions in a wide variety of areas, particularly with regards to criminal sentencing, workplace protections, personal data privacy and Minnesotans’ basic civil rights,” Rep. Lesch said. “I’m proud to be given the opportunity to chair this committee and look forward to the upcoming legislative session.”
Rep. Lesch brings a unique profile to the role. Currently working as an attorney in private practice, he previously served as a Saint Paul prosecutor for 15 years. He was the chair of the House Civil Law and Data Practices Committee during the 2013-2014 biennium and has served as the lead DFL member since 2015 as well as during the 2011-2012 biennium. From 2007-2010, he chaired House subcommittees on Crime Victims and Criminal Records.
The 2019 Minnesota Legislative Session convenes at noon Tuesday, January 8.