VIRGINIA — The federal district court of Minnesota has dismissed a lawsuit by a former Rock Ridge School Board member against the district and the board chair for a second time.
The order filed Monday, March 16, said Pollyann Sorcan failed to state a First Amendment retaliation claim in her 2023 suit. She filed the action after board members censured and removed her from committee assignments, and she was excluded from attending committee meetings after her removal.
Sorcan argued the action was in retaliation to her engaging in protected speech.
In Monday’s order, Judge John R. Tunheim opined that removal from committees is among the most common forms of internal discipline used by political bodies. Tunheim wrote that Sorcan’s committee removals did not prevent her from performing her duties or deprive her of any privilege, since the committees are purely advisory.
As for barring her attendance from committee meetings, the court did agree this was an adverse action against Sorcan, as a member of the public looking to attend a public meeting. But according to the order, her complaint failed to show this move was retaliatory.
The lawsuit was already dismissed once, but last year, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the case back after determining the former board chair named in the suit did not enjoy individual legislative immunity.
The Rock Ridge School Board separately removed Sorcan from office in 2024, after she attempted to help others overturn Board decisions and violated data privacy rules.
She unsuccessfully ran to fill that seat again in the subsequent special election.
-
Contributed/Karina Kafka / Report for MinnesotaThe DFL-backed Senate bill is part of a broader health and human services package that passed on a party-line vote. It also includes $115 million in aid for hospitals statewide. -
Plus: Hermantown City Council tables a vote on agreements related to the controversial proposed Google data center. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEBemidji State University Alumni and Foundation launched the "Replant our Roots" campaign after 200 trees were toppled in the June 2025 windstorm. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEThe deputy was shot in the thigh in Max and airlifted to a Duluth hospital. A convoy of law enforcement escorted him home Tuesday, May 5, 2026. -
Contributed/Bastian Riccardi via PexelsThe bill would mandate verifiable parental consent when a minor creates an account and require the highest data privacy settings. It would also restrict targeted, paid ads and addictive interface features. -
The bill bans the future sale of so-called assault weapons and high capacity magazines and faces an uncertain future in the MN House, where Republicans and Democrats are deadlocked. -
Lorie ShaullProperty taxes have risen steeply in the past few years. According to the MN Department of Revenue, tax levies for local governments have increased approximately 6.8% since 2025. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEIn order to obtain veteran status now, a member of the armed forces must have 181 days of unbroken active service, and only they can be buried in state veterans cemeteries. -
Plus: Former Bemidji teacher sentenced for child sex abuse material; Firefighters in region respond to grass fires; Eighth District Democrats endorse Trina Swanson; and Bemidji State alumni brave cool weather to replant the campus.
-
Scott Rodgerson/UnsplashThe deputy was shot May 4, 2026, on a call in Max, northwest of Deer River and east of S. Lake. The suspect is in custody, and the incident is under investigation.
