Lawsuit before Minnesota Supreme Court tests routine housing inspections

Rental licensing rules adopted by cities across Minnesota will be tested Wednesday when the state’s highest court hears arguments on whether landlords and tenants can block routine city housing inspections.

The case, stemming from a Golden Valley dispute, tests the balance between privacy and a government’s responsibility to regulate health and safety. It has attracted the attention of a wide range of interest groups, from the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., to the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and the League of Minnesota Cities.

“This is about the protection of the privacy of your home,” said attorney Anthony Sanders, who is representing the plaintiffs on behalf of the Institute for Justice, a Virginia-based law firm. “If the government wants to get into your home, do they need evidence that there’s something wrong?”

http://www.startribune.com/lawsuit-before-minnesota-supreme-court-tests-routine-housing-inspections/409404345/