US Supreme Court Ruling Sparks Questions About 'Deep State' Influence in Minnesota

The concept of the 'deep state' has been debated for over two decades. A Monmouth poll from 2018 found that nearly three-quarters of respondents agreed such a system existed.

A recent Supreme Court decision highlighted the issue, as President Trump referred to 'the deep state.' Two cases involved the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Reserve (Fed), with mixed results for the President. The FTC case ruled in favor of the president's ability to fire officials without cause.

The Fed case, however, ruled that the central bank has certain protections from political interference. This raised questions about the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and its unique powers. The PUC has legislative, quasi-judicial, and executive functions, which could be seen as unconstitutional under Minnesota's Constitution.

The US Constitution also mentions a republican form of government, which implies separation of powers. This seems to contradict the PUC's trinity of powers. The PUC's setup is more similar to that of the Fed, which has its own protections from political interference.