A federal judge dealt a decisive blow to the Trump administration's legal campaign against Minnesota officials on Monday, ruling that subpoenas issued against Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and other local leaders were unconstitutional and issued for improper political purposes.
Chief Judge Patrick J Schiltz of the US District Court for Minnesota unsealed his order quashing the subpoenas, finding overwhelming evidence that the Department of Justice weaponized the grand jury process to punish officials who resisted the administration's immigration enforcement surge in the state. The Justice Department had issued the subpoenas in January, claiming the officials obstructed federal immigration operations.
Schiltz, appointed by Republican President George W Bush, wrote bluntly that using the grand jury "in order to 'harass political opponents or to coerce them into taking official action' is a blatantly unlawful and unethical" practice. He also found the subpoenas violated the Tenth Amendment, which protects state sovereignty over matters not specifically delegated to the federal government.
The crackdown, called Operation Metro Surge, included federal immigration agents in the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul. During those enforcement operations, two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal agents. Minnesota's Democratic leaders publicly opposed the surge, citing safety concerns and citing sanctuary policies that limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The Justice Department cited four examples of state and local conduct it claimed justified the investigation: a Minneapolis city council separation ordinance, statements about an eviction moratorium, county guidance advising employees not to share information with ICE agents, and training from Henneple County on how to respond to immigration warrants. Despite these claims, the agency never subpoenaed the city council members who actually drafted the ordinances.
Schiltz highlighted this glaring gap in the government's case. "One would expect that, before launching a sweeping investigation into nearly the entire political structure of a sovereign state, the Department would have identified at least one instance in which a county employee actually obstructed a law-enforcement officer after being told of his or her employer's policy," he wrote. "Yet the Department has been unable to identify a single such instance."
The judge concluded the "dominant purpose" of the subpoenas was to coerce Minnesota officials into assisting with immigration enforcement and to retaliate against them for refusing to do so. Ellison called the decision an "extremely rare step" by the court.
Walz hailed the ruling as "a victory for the rule of law and our democracy." He emphasized the importance of an independent judiciary and said he remained proud to use his constitutional rights to oppose federal policies he considered harmful to Minnesotans.
"The US justice department is pursuing criminal investigations into the president's political opponents," Walz said. "We are seeing daily reminders of this administration's lawlessness in Minnesota and around the country."
Ellison framed the case as part of a broader pattern of political targeting. "The Trump administration is targeting me because I'm standing up for the people of Minnesota," he said. "In America, we settle our political differences at the ballot box, and it should disturb every American that Donald Trump is weaponizing the criminal justice system against people he disagrees with."
The Minnesota attorney general has already filed multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration over the immigration surge and other policies, both independently and alongside Democratic attorneys general from other states. He filed his first challenge to Operation Metro Surge on January 12.
Mayor Frey called the court's decision a vindication of the right to dissent. "No one should be targeted for questioning those in power. No community should be expected to accept harmful policies without objection. And no administration should use the tools of law enforcement to silence dissent."
The Justice Department pushed back against the ruling. A spokesperson said the agency "takes the unlawful obstruction of federal law enforcement operations extremely seriously and will continue to act in full compliance with the law to investigate these matters."
The outcome stands out amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to pursue criminal investigations and civil legal challenges against critics and political opponents. The Justice Department has also filed charges against Minnesota residents who protested the immigration surge, including alleged ICE tracking and violations of federal protest laws involving two journalists.
Author James Rodriguez: "Schiltz's order is a rare judicial rebuke of executive overreach, but Minnesota officials will need to watch whether this ruling survives appeal or becomes yet another flash point in a larger fight over the bounds of prosecutorial power."
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