Minnesota House Republicans sued Secretary of State Steve Simon on Thursday in an attempt to force Democratic members back into the chamber, the latest legal challenge in a weekslong political standoff between the two parties.

Democrats in the Minnesota House who have boycotted daily sessions are using tactics that lawmakers elsewhere have tried dozens of times in seeking to thwart their opponents.

Despite the slow start for the House with only eight bills introduced after the first few days of session, a couple hundred were in play prior to the House shutdown.