Former Minn Supreme Court Associate Justice Dies

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Former associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, John Simonett, has died.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports he died Thursday in St. Paul at age 87.

Republican Gov. Al Quie appointed Simonett in 1980. He served for 14 years before he retired in 1994.

After receiving his law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1951, he practiced for 29 years in Little Falls with Gordon Rosenmeier, who was a former leader in the Minnesota Senate.

Simonett wrote several major decisions, including upholding the state's fetal homicide law, overturning lower welfare benefits for new state residents and allowing a lawyer in a criminal case to eliminate a potential juror based on religion.

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