Upper Midwest Law Center

06/03/2026

Meet Martha A. Astor, Trial Counsel at UMLC.

Martha brings strong experience in constitutional litigation, First Amendment matters, election law, and appellate advocacy to UMLC’s growing legal team.

We’re excited to have her help advance our work defending constitutional liberties and holding government and bad private actors accountable.

06/02/2026

We’ve got two new people on the UMLC team!

Click the link to learn more.

Martha Astor and Andrew “AJ” Gubash join UMLC as the organization continues growing its constitutional litigation work The Upper Midwest Law Center announced two new additions to its growing legal team: Martha A. Astor, who joins as Trial Counsel, and Andrew “AJ” Gubash, who joins as Paraleg...

06/02/2026

Watch KARE 11’s coverage our latest petition to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

The City of Oak Grove is suing Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and Anoka County election officials for the right to use paper voting rosters.

06/01/2026

Read the story: https://zurl.co/YG2oU

05/31/2026

More coverage of our latest case:

Oak Grove is asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to allow the city to use paper voter rosters in the 2026 statewide general election.

This case is about local election authority and whether state and county officials can override a city’s decision about how to administer elections in its own precincts.

As Mayor Weston Rolf said, “Oak Grove is not asking for special treatment.”

Oak Grove has asked the Minnesota Supreme Court to let the city use paper voter rosters in the statewide general election, according to the the Upper Midwest Law Center.

05/30/2026

“That’s not a revolution.”

Nicholas Nelson explained Oak Grove’s case clearly: Minnesota law has long recognized that elections inside city limits are run by cities. The question now before the Minnesota Supreme Court is whether that includes a city’s decision to use paper voter rosters.

UMLC is proud to represent Oak Grove in this important local election authority case.

The city of Oak Grove is asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to intervene in a dispute over whether the city can use paper voting rosters in the 2026 general election.

05/30/2026

Oak Grove is asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to answer a simple question: can a city decide how to run elections in its own precincts?

UMLC filed the petition after state and county officials blocked Oak Grove’s decision to use paper voter rosters in the 2026 general election.

Watch/read more from FOX 9:

Election administrators with the City of Oak Grove announced a petition asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to allow paper voter rosters in the 2026 election, which they say would overrule Anoka County's decision to block them from doing so.

05/30/2026

Who controls election administration inside city limits?

That question is now before the Minnesota Supreme Court after UMLC filed a petition on behalf of the City of Oak Grove regarding its decision to use paper voter rosters in the 2026 election.

Watch yesterday’s press conference to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPmy9KTseLM

05/29/2026

More coverage of the Schmitt settlement, even if the headline does its best to make a voluntary Christian prison ministry sound like the problem.

The key point is this: Quest for Authentic Manhood is back at St. Cloud prison because the First Amendment does not allow the government to ban religious speech simply because bureaucrats disagree with its viewpoint.

As UMLC’s Brent Robbins explained, "There’s no way the state should ever be banning the Bible or any religion."

Read more from the Star Tribune:

The instructor brought a free-speech case against the state Corrections Department, which says the class excludes gay men and promotes dangerous gender stereotypes.

05/29/2026

We’d like to tell you a little more about our team! Next up is Brent Robbins, senior legal counsel at UMLC focusing on religious liberty cases.

Brent brings decades of legal experience to the team, including 24 years at General Mills and significant pro bono work in courts across the country. His background includes business litigation, appellate advocacy, amicus brief work, and a deep commitment to defending religious freedom.

More on Brent and our awesome team here: https://www.umlc.org/meet-our-team/