Judge dismisses Trump-era subpoenas against Minnesota leaders

A federal judge has quashed subpoenas issued by the Trump administration's Department of Justice against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and other local officials. The subpoenas were part of a controversial immigration enforcement surge earlier this year. The Justice Department had claimed the officials obstructed federal immigration enforcement, a surge that saw federal agents kill two U.S. citizens. Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz unsealed an order Monday, ruling the subpoenas were politically motivated and an "extremely rare step" by the court. In his order, Schiltz stated the Trump administration sought to "punish states and localities that have adopted ‘sanctuary’ policies." He characterized the investigation's initiation as a "blatantly unlawful and unethical use of the grand-jury process" aimed at harassing political opponents. The judge found overwhelming evidence that the subpoenas were issued for unlawful reasons, noting the Department of Justice's unsuccessful attempts to provide a plausible investigatory justification. Ultimately, the court concluded the "dominant purpose" of the subpoenas was to "coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration law and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so."

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threatening and attempting to punish states and localities that have adopted ‘sanctuary’ policies