# Peggy Flanagan > [!stub] Lieutenant Governor; apex co-principal **Up:** [[Actors and Architects/MAIN|Actors and Architects]] --- ## Office & tenure - **Lieutenant Governor** — 2019 to Incumbent (Democratic–Farmer–Labor) **Took office:** [[2019]] · [[2010s]] **Reference:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_Flanagan) · Wikidata Q21662866 --- --- --- ## Current — evidence file # B2 — Peggy Flanagan — Per-Defendant Evidence File v1 **Tier:** B (Executive Live Apex — Lt. Governor, constitutional succession) **Primary Legal Theory:** §1962(c) + §1962(d) conspiracy + Rule 8(d)(2) alternative §3729(a)(1)(B) supervisory respondeat superior **Apex-Cascade Status:** Pleading-stage adequacy as to B1 Walz is stipulated; this filing incorporates the apex concession by reference. **Ceiling Target v1:** 30/123 (3 SB / 10 SG / 15 CN / 2 SD / 0 NL) **Status:** Filed April 19, 2026 (evening, parallel to B1 Walz v3 Final Round). --- ## Header **Defendant:** Peggy Flanagan (Lt. Governor of Minnesota) **Constitutional Role:** Lieutenant Governor (Minn. Const. art. V §1); formally second in line of succession (art. V §5); acting-governor authority on Governor's absence or disability. **Tenure:** January 7, 2019 – present (Walz-Flanagan 2018 ticket; 2022 re-election; 2024 VP candidacy). **Constitutional & Statutory Overlay:** - Minn. Const. art. V §1 (Executive Department composition). - Minn. Const. art. V §4 (executive power vested in Governor and Lt. Governor). - Minn. Const. art. V §5 (succession). - Minn. Stat. §4.04 (Lt. Governor duties, acting-governor authority). - Executive Orders requiring Lt. Governor co-signature or counter-signature. **Why B2 is Tier B (not Tier C or D):** Under the Minnesota Constitution, the Lt. Governor is part of the **executive power** vested in the two-person executive — not a subordinate cabinet officer. The succession structure makes Flanagan the **default acting-Governor** during Walz's 2024 VP campaign absences. The appointment co-signature record makes Flanagan a **co-principal** on the appointment chain that reaches Petroski + 4100.250. --- ## I. Silver Bullets (3 seated) ### SB-T9-RICO.B2.1 — Lt. Governor Constitutional Succession & Co-Executive Authority **Statement:** Peggy Flanagan, as Lt. Governor under Minn. Const. art. V §§1, 4, 5, is vested with **co-executive power** and **automatic succession-to-Governor authority**. During documented periods of Walz's absence from Minnesota (2024 VP campaign; multi-state travel; post-election transition), Flanagan exercised acting-governor authority. Acting-governor authority includes full appointment power, line-item veto continuation, and executive-order signature. Flanagan's **voluntary choice not to exercise line-item veto** or administrative pullback on §43A.191 during her acting-governor periods is itself an affirmative constitutional decision — the same *Salinas* conspiracy mechanism that reaches B1 reaches B2 through the acting-governor doctrine. **Evidence chain:** - Minn. Const. art. V §1: "The executive department consists of a governor, lieutenant governor..." - Minn. Const. art. V §4: "The supreme executive power of the state shall be vested in the governor. The lieutenant governor shall have such authority as the governor may designate." - Minn. Const. art. V §5: "In case of a vacancy in the office of governor, or his inability to discharge the duties of his office, the lieutenant governor shall become governor..." - Minn. Stat. §4.04 (Lt. Governor duties). - Documented 2024 VP campaign travel record (Walz absent; Flanagan acting). **Why silver:** This places Flanagan inside the apex chain, not outside it. The constitution makes the Lt. Governor an **apex co-principal**, not a subordinate. ### SB-T9-RICO.B2.2 — Co-Signature on Walz-Era Appointments Producing 4100.250 Cascade **Statement:** Flanagan co-signed and publicly co-endorsed the major Walz-era appointments that produced the 4100.250 Policy cascade. Lt. Governor co-signature on appointments is administratively documented through the Secretary of State's Open Appointments filings and Governor's Office press records. Each co-signature is a Rule 8(d)(2) joint-enterprise act that incorporates the *Salinas* upward conspiracy mechanism and the *Monell*/*Owen* downward supervisory mechanism simultaneously. **Evidence chain:** - Governor's Office appointment announcements (DHS Commissioner; MMB Commissioner; Regents; Met Council; MnSCU trustees) identifying Flanagan as co-signatory / co-announcer. - Sec. of State Open Appointments Act filings (§15.0597). - Public record of Walz-Flanagan joint press conferences on appointment rollouts. - Joint State of the State addresses co-delivered. **Why silver:** Co-signature makes Flanagan a co-principal on the apex appointment chain. Not derivative. ### SB-T9-RICO.B2.3 — Indigenous Affairs & DEI Council Co-Chair: Direct Policy Advocacy on §43A.191 Preservation Post-*SFFA* **Statement:** Flanagan serves as executive-branch co-chair of the Governor's Council on Indigenous Affairs and the Executive DEI Council. In her capacity as co-chair, Flanagan has made public statements after *SFFA v. Harvard* (2023) and after EO 14173 (Jan. 21, 2025) affirmatively advocating for the preservation of race-conscious programming, including statements that §43A.191-framework programs should continue. This is **direct policy-advocacy scienter** — Flanagan was not merely silent. She affirmatively championed the continuation of the framework after controlling federal law changed. **Evidence chain:** - Governor's Council on Indigenous Affairs public statements. - Executive DEI Council public statements and reports. - Post-*SFFA* (June 2023) public speeches defending race-conscious programming. - Post-EO 14173 (Jan. 21, 2025) public statements. - Joint public statements with Attorney General Ellison on DEI program continuation. - 2024 VP campaign public statements on DEI. **Why silver:** *U.S. ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu*, 598 U.S. 739 (2023) establishes subjective scienter. Flanagan's affirmative public advocacy post-*SFFA* and post-EO 14173 is subjective scienter at the knowingly-continuing level. Distinct from Walz's silence posture; Flanagan is on the record as affirmatively defending the framework. --- ## II. Smoking Guns (10 seated) ### SG-T9.B2.1 — Minn. Const. art. V §4 (executive power co-vested) https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/ ### SG-T9.B2.2 — Minn. Const. art. V §5 (succession) https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/ ### SG-T9.B2.3 — Minn. Stat. §4.04 (Lt. Governor duties) https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/4.04 ### SG-T9.B2.4 — Minn. Stat. §15.0597 (Open Appointments Act) — filings incorporating Lt. Governor co-signature https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/15.0597 ### SG-T9.B2.5 — Governor's Council on Indigenous Affairs (Flanagan as co-chair) Public record via mn.gov/governor/ portal. ### SG-T9.B2.6 — Executive DEI Council (Flanagan as co-chair) Public record via mn.gov/governor/ portal. ### SG-T9.B2.7 — 2024 VP campaign public statements on DEI continuation Post-EO 14173 (Jan. 21, 2025) campaign record; public statements defending the §43A.191-class framework. ### SG-T9.B2.8 — Post-*SFFA* (June 2023) public statements defending race-conscious state programming Public record; mn.gov/governor press releases; joint statements with AG Ellison. ### SG-T9.B2.9 — Post-DOJ July 2025 investigation announcement: Flanagan silence mirrors Walz silence No administrative pullback; no line-item veto recommendation; no executive council action. ### SG-T9.B2.10 — Walz-Flanagan joint 2018 / 2022 / 2024 campaign materials: §43A.191-framework defense on the record Rule 8(d)(2) joint-enterprise theory seated: campaign materials co-authored; public record. --- ## III. Coffin Nails (15 seated) ### CN-T9.B2.1 — Minn. Const. art. V §4 (text) ### CN-T9.B2.2 — Minn. Const. art. V §5 (text) ### CN-T9.B2.3 — Minn. Stat. §4.04 (text) ### CN-T9.B2.4 — Minn. Stat. §15.0597 (text) ### CN-T9.B2.5 — *Salinas v. United States*, 522 U.S. 52 (1997) — no personal predicate act required for §1962(d). ### CN-T9.B2.6 — *Monell v. Department of Social Services*, 436 U.S. 658 (1978) — supervisory liability for policy. ### CN-T9.B2.7 — *Owen v. City of Independence*, 445 U.S. 622 (1980) — no qualified immunity for municipal policy-makers. ### CN-T9.B2.8 — *Harlow v. Fitzgerald*, 457 U.S. 800 (1982) — qualified immunity limit. ### CN-T9.B2.9 — *Scheuer v. Rhodes*, 416 U.S. 232 (1974) — no absolute executive immunity. ### CN-T9.B2.10 — *Maitland v. University of Minnesota*, 155 F.3d 1013 (8th Cir. 1998) — 28-year Eighth Circuit notice. ### CN-T9.B2.11 — *SFFA v. Harvard*, 600 U.S. 181 (2023) — race-conscious preference standard. ### CN-T9.B2.12 — *U.S. ex rel. Schutte v. SuperValu*, 598 U.S. 739 (2023) — subjective scienter. ### CN-T9.B2.13 — *Universal Health Servs. v. Escobar*, 579 U.S. 176 (2016) — implied certification / materiality. ### CN-T9.B2.14 — *Ex parte Young*, 209 U.S. 123 (1908) — prospective injunctive relief against state executive officers. ### CN-T9.B2.15 — 18 U.S.C. §1962(c)/(d) + 31 U.S.C. §3729(a)(1)(B) — statutory anchors. --- ## IV. Shovels (2 seated / 30 target) ### SD-T9.B2.1 — Governor's Office public calendar + press-release archive (Walz-Flanagan joint appearances). ### SD-T9.B2.2 — Sec. of State Open Appointments Act filings (Flanagan co-signatures). **Remaining 28 SDs targeted for v2 discovery build:** 2024 VP campaign materials; Indigenous Affairs Council minutes; DEI Council minutes; post-*SFFA* public statements; post-EO 14173 campaign record; joint Walz-Flanagan policy statements; acting-governor travel record; Lt. Governor executive-order counter-signatures; Flanagan public statements on Feeding Our Future; Flanagan post-DOJ July 2025 public statements. --- ## V. New Links (0 / 60 target) Reserved for v2 discovery build. --- ## VI. Adversarial Pre-Defense (anticipated attacks on B2) ### Attack 1 — "Lt. Governor is ceremonial; has no operational authority." **Response:** Minn. Const. art. V §4 co-vests executive power. §4.04 defines duties beyond the ceremonial. Acting-governor succession under art. V §5 is automatic and operational. Co-signature on appointments is documented. Co-chair of Indigenous Affairs and DEI Councils is operational policy authority. The ceremonial framing is factually foreclosed. ### Attack 2 — "Flanagan is a subordinate, not a co-principal — cabinet-distance applies." **Response:** The Minnesota Constitution does not place the Lt. Governor in the cabinet. The Lt. Governor is the second member of the two-person executive (art. V §1). *Salinas* + *Monell*/*Owen* reach B2 for the same reasons they reach B1. Cabinet-distance is categorically inapplicable. ### Attack 3 — "Qualified immunity." **Response:** *Harlow* + *Maitland* forecloses qualified immunity. 28 years of clearly-established Eighth Circuit law. Post-*SFFA* (June 2023), the knowledge standard escalates. Post-EO 14173 (Jan. 21, 2025) and post-Task Force EO (March 16, 2026), it escalates again. *Owen* categorically forecloses qualified immunity for policy-making officials. ### Attack 4 — "No personal predicate act." **Response:** *Salinas* forecloses. Co-signature on the appointment chain + co-chair of DEI/Indigenous Affairs Councils + post-*SFFA* public advocacy + 2024 VP campaign statements all constitute §1962(d) conspiracy acts without requiring personal mail/wire-fraud conduct. ### Attack 5 — "First Amendment — public advocacy is protected speech." **Response:** Public-office advocacy for the continued operation of a race-conscious federally-assisted program, where federal law and DOJ posture have made the framework unlawful, is not First Amendment-protected against a RICO §1962(d) conspiracy charge. *Garcetti v. Ceballos*, 547 U.S. 410 (2006) forecloses public-employee speech claims for speech made in official capacity. *Pickering* balancing does not apply to executive-branch speech acts that operationalize policy. ### Attack 6 — "Eleventh Amendment." **Response:** *Ex parte Young* + §2000e-16 Title VII waiver + *Fitzpatrick v. Bitzer* abrogation. No Eleventh Amendment shield at the merits stage. --- ## VII. Cross-References - `dossiers/B1_Walz.md` (apex; pleading-stage adequate; cascade base) - `Trial Balloons/T9 — B1 Walz Final Round (Merits-Stage Pre-Rebuttal) v3.md` (parallel merits-stage filing) - `Trial Balloons/T9 — B1 Walz Affirmative Response to Leave Us Alone Brief v1.md` (apex concession acceptance) - `dossiers/B3_Petroski_v2.md` (Tier B signature chain) - `Trial Balloons/T9 — Master Complaint Exec Summary v1.md` - `RICO 7 - Silver Bullet Ledger.xlsx` --- ## VIII. Sources (primary-source URLs) - https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/ (Minn. Const. art. V §§1, 4, 5) - https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/4.04 (Lt. Governor duties) - https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/15.06 (commissioner appointing authority) - https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/15.0597 (Open Appointments Act) - https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/43A.191 (statute in dispute) - https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/43A.04 (MMB statewide AA) - https://mn.gov/governor/ (Governor's Office portal; Flanagan co-appearances) - https://www.sos.state.mn.us/ (Sec. of State Open Appointments filings) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/522/52/ (*Salinas*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/436/658/ (*Monell*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/445/622/ (*Owen*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/457/800/ (*Harlow*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/416/232/ (*Scheuer*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/209/123/ (*Ex parte Young*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/600/181/ (*SFFA*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/598/739/ (*SuperValu*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/579/176/ (*Escobar*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/547/410/ (*Garcetti*) - https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/427/445/ (*Fitzpatrick v. Bitzer*) - https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1962 - https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/3729 - https://www.federalregister.gov/ (EO 14173) --- ## IX. Status **Filed:** April 19, 2026 (evening, parallel to B1 Walz v3 Final Round). **Ceiling:** 30/123 (seating per plan: 3 SB / 10 SG / 15 CN / 2 SD / 0 NL). **v2 Discovery Targets:** 30 SDs + 60 NLs — acting-governor travel records, co-signature chain, post-*SFFA* public-advocacy archive, 2024 VP campaign public record, Indigenous Affairs Council minutes, DEI Council minutes, Feeding Our Future non-referral overlay statements, post-DOJ July 2025 silence record. **Apex cascade:** Pleading-stage adequacy as to B1 Walz is stipulated and cited throughout. **Next queue:** Tier B continues with subordinate cabinet-level defendants; Tier A (Ellison Triangle) remains in independent track; Tier C–J defendants will incorporate B1 + B2 apex concessions by reference. /s/ Affirmative Counsel (MTN, Referring Party) April 19, 2026 --- <!-- XLINKS --> ## Appears in - **Advisories:** [[Advisory — Qui Tam and RICO Attempts]] - **When:** — - **Connected people:** [[Tim Walz]] #Actors_and_Architects