Senate majority leader apologizes

03/27/2006

BY RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER
Pioneer Press

In about a minute on the Senate floor today, Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson brought to a close controversy about inaccurate comments he made about the state’s 1997 marriage law.

“Colleagues,” he said, addressing his silent fellow senators at the end of a long floor session. “I apologize to you for the inaccurate statement which I made in a meeting with pastors in January.

“I have at no time received any commitments regarding potential judicial decisions from any member of the Minnesota Supreme Court….I regret the statement I made, I have apologized outside this forum earlier, and today I apologize to this body, my constituents, and the people of Minnesota.

“I have learned from this experience and I suspect the rest of us have as well.

“This has been a difficult experience; I appreciate the support of my caucus, my constituents and my friends, and I look forward to working with all members to address the important public policy issues which remain on our agenda for this session.”

Three months ago, Johnson, a Lutheran pastor, said at a pastors meeting that he had talked to several members of the Minnesota Supreme Court and they assured him they would not “touch” the 1997 law which defines marriage as only the union of one man and one woman. He has since said those statements were not true but has maintained he had some conversations with judges about the marriage law.

Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment to limit marriage and its legal equivalent to one man and one woman say it’s needed because the 1997 law is vulnerable to a legal challenge.

Johnson delivered the public apology to resolve an ethics complaint Republican senators brought against him last week over his inaccurate statement. With the apology — and another to the organizer of the January meeting — the complaint will be dismissed.