Group: Judge orders explanation removed from ballot for Minneapolis public safety charter amendment

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A ruling from the judge will remove explanatory language for the charter amendment question regarding the replacement of the Minneapolis Police Department that is set to appear on the November ballot, the advocacy group that filed the lawsuit says.

The petitioning group for the ballot question, Yes 4 Minneapolis, filed the lawsuit last month, saying the language was biased. The explanation spelled out that the head of public safety would report to the mayor and city council and remove language requiring a police department. Under the amendment, the language for the police department in the charter would removed in favor of a new department of public safety.

In a statement following the lawsuit, Mayor Frey supported the added language, saying voters deserved to know what they were voting for.

According to tweets on Friday, Yes 4 Minneapolis says the judge agreed with their suit, ordering the city clerk to remove the explainer, stating the language would result in confusion rather than clarity on the measure.

"#Yes4Minneapolis is about bringing people together for a better version of public safety," wrote the group. "We're excited about this decision and we look forward to getting the people of Minneapolis the trained safety professionals we deserve!"

The lawsuit faced an August 20 deadline for the final ballot language to be set.