Gov. Tim Walz acted prematurely in calling a special election in House District 40B, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled on Friday.

In a late Friday afternoon decision, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Governor Tim Walz prematurely issued a special election for House District 40B.

In a ruling Friday, the Minnesota Supreme Court said a special election for House District 40B was issued prematurely, and have ordered the Jan. 28 election be canceled.

Voters in parts of northeast Florida will be able to cast an early, in-person ballot this weekend in the special election to fill the seat of Congressman Michael Waltz. Waltz is resigning effective Monday,

The Minnesota Supreme Court sided with the Republican Party of Minnesota which argued Gov. Tim Walz ordered a special election in District 40B too soon.

DFL Gov. Tim Walz set a special election for Jan. 28. But the Supreme Court sided with Republicans who said Walz acted too quickly in setting the date and postponed the election indefinitely.

Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday pitched a tighter two-year budget, complete with spending pullbacks and other measures to keep a potential deficit at bay. He also proposed a lower state sales tax rate but called for extending the tax’s reach to financial services.

Minnesota Republicans have filed a lawsuit against Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) over the coming special election in House District 40B, where the winning Democratic candidate was recently ruled ineligible over residency requirements.

U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, who is leaving his seat in Florida’s 6th Congressional District to join the Donald Trump administration as National Security Adviser, is getting in behind Randy Fine as his preferred replacement.

House and Senate Republicans balked at Walz’s recommendations and signaled they would resist any new taxes or fees.

The lawsuit comes after a judge granted Republican candidate Paul Wikstrom's contest of the results of the House race after finding his Democratic opponent, Curtis Johnson, did not establish residency in District 40B.

House GOP Leader Rep. Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, celebrated the ruling on Friday. (Renée Jones Schneider/The Minnesota Star Tribune)