during the first days of the shutdown, many programs requested that their funding continue, especially social service organizations that relied on state funding. to hear their pleas, the courts appointed retired state supreme court judge kathleen blatz as a special master. dayton and state attorney general lori swanson also both submitted petitions to the ramsey county district court when the shutdown began, asking for the court to clarify whether some programs could continue. judges kathleen gearin and bruce w. christopherson issued their rulings on july 7, finding that some programs could start again, including criminal background checks, public schools, and local government aid. gearin complained that the governor and legislature should have been responsible for making decisions about which services could stay open. gearin had previously heard a case from the minnesota zoo, which asked to remain open despite the shutdown, and another from the canterbury park horse racing track in shakopee. while both pay for themselves at least during the summer, gearin determined that only the zoo was allowed to operate without legislative appropriations, so she allowed the zoo to open on july 2 but ordered canterbury park to remain closed the same day.