MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Minnesota Courts Begin Statewide Ban on Firearms and Other Weapons in Court Facilities

The new order applies even to people with permits to carry and expands a restriction previously centered on the Minnesota Judicial Center and Supreme Court courtroom.

By Tom Akaolisa, Editor

SAINT PAUL, MN (September 4, 2026). Firearms and other weapons are now prohibited in court-occupied areas throughout Minnesota under a statewide order signed by Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson.

The policy took effect September 1 and applies to court-occupied portions of county government buildings and other facilities used for official business by Minnesota's district courts, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

The order applies to people who hold valid permits to carry firearms.

Limited exceptions apply to licensed peace officers and federally authorized law-enforcement officers who are present as part of their official duties and legally authorized to carry weapons.

Weapons introduced as evidence during trials or evidentiary hearings are also exempt when required advance-notice and safety procedures are followed.

Chief judges may extend the weapons prohibition to additional portions of a government building or courthouse complex when necessary to protect areas where court business takes place.

Visitors may be required to pass through weapons screening.

Anyone who refuses required screening can be denied entry.

The statewide policy expands restrictions that have existed since 2003 at the Minnesota Judicial Center and in the Minnesota Supreme Court courtroom at the State Capitol.

Hudson said the Judicial Branch has seen increasing threats against judges and court employees and must continue evaluating security measures necessary to protect both court personnel and members of the public.

For visitors, jurors, litigants and attorneys, the practical effect is straightforward: a permit to carry does not authorize possession of a firearm inside areas covered by the new statewide court order.

The policy arrives during a period of heightened attention to security within Minnesota's court system.

The Judicial Branch separately disclosed this week that the state's appellate courts were affected by a vendor cybersecurity breach involving user data. That incident is unrelated to the new weapons order.

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