MINNEAPOLIS — The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a judicial misconduct complaint against almost every federal judge in Minnesota, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday, escalating a fight over the judiciary's criticism of federal immigration enforcement.
The complaint cites a September 17 New York Times article that quoted senior U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz as saying federal immigration agents in Minneapolis "created a grave threat to the rule of law" and that the Trump administration exhibited a "disregard for court orders" in its handling of an ICE surge.
"These judges talked to the media, or at least to the New York Times, about cases, some of which are ongoing, in a matter that the department views as a clear violation of their ethical duties," Blanche said at a press conference at the Justice Department in Washington.
Federal judges are bound by ethics rules that generally bar them from publicly commenting on pending cases. The DOJ's position is that the judges crossed that line by discussing ongoing immigration-related litigation with a reporter.
The complaint lands amid heightened tension between the administration and the federal bench in Minnesota, where immigration enforcement operations have drawn protests, lawsuits and now dueling accusations about respect for court orders.
Neither the judges named in the complaint nor the chief judge of the district had publicly responded as of Wednesday evening. Judicial misconduct complaints are typically reviewed through the federal judiciary's own disciplinary process, and the outcome — and any potential sanction — was not immediately clear.
This is a developing story. NCN will update it as the judges or the courts respond.
- National Correspondent Network
