Court of Appeals

Oral arguments before the Minnesota Court of Appeals are open to the public. The Court of Appeals hears oral arguments at the Minnesota Judicial Center throughout the year, as well as at locations throughout Minnesota and remotely via ZoomGov, to facilitate statewide access to oral arguments.  Most oral arguments occur on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday mornings. Please view the Court of Appeals Calendar for the schedule of upcoming oral arguments.

• Protocol for oral argument before the Minnesota Court of Appeals - for attorneys
• For more information about what to expect when attending oral argument, click on "What Happens During Oral Argument," below.
• Rules of Decorum for the Minnesota Judicial Center
• Directions to the Minnesota Judicial Center
• All visitors to the Minnesota Judicial Center must pass through security screening.

The Minnesota Judicial Center courtrooms have limited seating.  Each courtroom has approximately 20 seats in the audience area of the courtroom, which includes seating for attorneys involved in oral arguments and their clients. Seating is first-come, first-served. If the courtroom is full, court staff will set up overflow seating where visitors may watch the oral arguments remotely. Members of the public may also view oral arguments remotely, by joining a live ZoomGov session from the courtroom.  All oral arguments are recorded by the Court, and audio recordings are generally available on the Court of Appeals Audio Recordings page within 24 hours. Under Rule 134.10 of the Rules of Civil Appellate procedure, no one else is permitted to make an audio or video recording of Court of Appeals oral arguments except with permission obtained at least 24 hours in advance, and under specific conditions established by the Minnesota Supreme Court. To request advance permission to record, contact the Court Information Office at (651) 297-4029.

If you have an educational group interested in viewing oral arguments or meeting with Court of Appeals judges, please email the Court of Appeals "Class in the Courtroom" program via the online contact form.

View Oral Arguments Remotely

Observers may attend oral arguments in person at the Minnesota Judicial Center or may observe remotely via ZoomGov.  To view oral arguments remotely, observers join a live ZoomGov session showing video from the courtroom. Observers will only be able to view video from the courtroom; all other participant features in the ZoomGov session will be disabled.

Links to observe this week's oral arguments

Oral Arguments via ZoomGov

Most oral arguments take place at the Minnesota Judicial Center, but some oral arguments take place remotely via ZoomGov.  As with in-person oral arguments, only the attorneys who filed briefs on the case will be allowed to address the court. There is an instructional demonstration video available for attorneys scheduled for remote oral argument via ZoomGov.

Audio recordings of oral arguments held before the Minnesota Court of Appeals are available on the Minnesota Judicial Branch website.

These recordings are available in a searchable, online database of oral arguments, which allows users to access all recorded oral arguments from January 2019 to the present.

Oral Argument Recordings

Please help us maintain decorum.

Issues of statewide importance are decided based on oral arguments. Therefore, it is critical that the judges and attorneys work without distraction. The following guidelines apply during oral arguments:

• Sit in the audience area of the courtroom. Standing is prohibited during oral arguments.
• Remain silent during the proceedings.
• You may not eat, drink, chew gum or use tobacco in the courtroom.
• Remove hats before entering the courtroom.
• No demonstrations are allowed, including signs, banners or displays of symbols.
• Electronic recording devices are prohibited, except when permission is given to the media
• Turn off all cell phones before entering the courtroom. 
• Any distracting activity will be grounds for removal from the courtroom.

Visitors to the Minnesota Judicial Center must also comply with the Minnesota Judicial Center Rules of Decorum.