In a petition to the Supreme Court, Democrats in the state House accuse Republicans of acting "unlawfully" when they conducted House business on Tuesday, including electing a speaker, with no DFL members present.

DFLers on Tuesday made good on their threat to keep the Minnesota House in limbo as the parties fight over control. House Republicans pushed ahead anyway in the half-empty chamber. It’s all likely headed to the courts.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Secretary of State Steve Simon and the House DFL have filed lawsuits to stop Republicans from taking control of the House for the next two years, arguing it’s unconstitutional for them to move forward without Democrats present.

In their lawsuit, House Democrats say Republicans unlawfully organized and elected a speaker on the legislative session’s opening day.

The Minnesota Legislative Session entered its second day on Wednesday, as did an organized boycott by House DFL members. The ongoing power dispute comes as Republicans have established themselves a structural majority in the House.

While Minnesota House Republicans hold a one-seat majority right now, a special election later this month should put the state House in an even political split. State Democrats called the move to elect a Republican speaker in the meantime unconstitutional.

Democrats in Minnesota’s state House staged a boycott on Tuesday, walking out and not showing up for the first day of the legislative session in defiance over how the chamber will be divided. When the state Legislature convened Tuesday but Democrats failed to show up,