Despite the slow start for the House with only eight bills introduced after the first few days of session, a couple hundred were in play prior to the House shutdown.

The justices, in a written ruling released Friday afternoon, agreed with House Democratic leaders and Secretary of State Steve Simon who argued that a quorum in the House was 68 members under the state constitution, not the 67 that Republicans claimed. The Supreme Court cited an article in the Minnesota Constitution as part of their reasoning.

Minnesota’s supreme court sided with the Democrats, ruling that 68 house members — a majority of the 134-seat chamber — must be present to establish a quorum.