A charter amendment aimed at policing “rogue cops” by requiring them to pay higher personal liability insurance premiums will not be on the Minneapolis general election ballot if a ruling from Hennepin County District Court stands.

On Monday, Judge Susan Robiner agreed with the city that state law preempts the proposed city charter amendment and therefor the city was correct in not allowing it on the ballot.

The Committee for Professional Policing (CfPP) brought the suit after the city council rejected its petition drive to put the issue on the ballot. CfPP organizer Michelle Gross says Judge Robiner contradicted herself by allowing an unrelated charter amendment for minimum wage on the ballot.

In her ruling on the minimum wage issue, Robiner wrote “to reject this proposal based on its content somehow being improper, which the City urges, amounts to passing judgment on the quality of the proposal, which is not the province of the court.” Gross says Robiner did exactly that when she ruled that the Police Insurance Amendment should be kept off the November ballot.

“While City Attorney Susan Segal and Police Union boss Bob Kroll sip champagne and celebrate their ‘victory’ over the wishes of the voters, our community suffers under the weight of unchecked police brutality,” said Gross in a press release.

CfPP chair Dave Bicking said “Judge Robiner doesn’t get the final say on this matter. We owe it to the thousands of Minneapolis voters that signed the petition to take it to a higher court, and we will.”

Supporters of the amendment will need to act fact. The deadline for putting things on the November ballot is August 26.

Full text of ruling

CfPP Judge Robiner Order