At the root of the cases before the justices is a question of whether 67 lawmakers is enough for a quorum when there's a vacancy in the 134-seat House of Representatives.

As Democrats continue to boycott, the Minnesota high court will hear arguments Thursday over whether House Republicans have a quorum with 67 members, or if 68 members are needed to hold sessions

The Minnesota Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday on how deeply it should intervene in a power struggle between Democrats and Republicans over who should control the state House of Representatives.

The disarray in the non-functioning Minnesota House of Representatives comes down to five words in the state Constitution: “A majority in each house,” state Solicitor General Liz Kramer told the Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday.

With accusations flying over which party is ignoring state law, the fight to control the Minnesota House is shifting from lawmakers to lawyers. DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon is calling on the Minnesota Supreme Court to weigh in on who has what power.

The chaos at the Minnesota Capitol takes center stage on Thursday at the state Supreme Court, where justices will hear arguments in the lawsuits challenging the GOP's actions and leadership in the state House.

The Supreme Court justices listened to oral arguments for more than an hour and are expected to issue a ruling quickly.

What does having a quorum mean for the Minnesota House of Representatives? This question will likely be decided by the state's Supreme Court after state Democrats sued state Republicans for electing a speaker with only 67 members present on the first day of session.

The Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday appeared skeptical of House Republicans’ argument that the judiciary should stay out of the workings of the Minnesota House. The six justices hearing the high-stakes case that could determine control of the Minnesota House seemed poised to issue a ruling that would answer a key question: How many House

At issue before the court is whether the current 67 Republican members constitute a quorum needed for the Minnesota House to do business.

Simon’s opinion comes while Democrats are threatening a no-show if Republicans do not agree to a power-sharing agreement.

When Democrats lose, their first impulse is to obstruct, to take their ball and go home — as their ongoing boycott in Minnesota’s House of Representatives shows.