Federal Judge Patrick Schiltz on June 17 ruled to quash subpoenas issued by the U.S. Department of Justice against Governor Tim Walz and five other Minnesota state officials. The ruling, made public on Monday (June 23), declared the subpoenas were primarily intended to coerce and retaliate against the officials for not assisting the federal government in enforcing immigration law.
In a 30-page decision, Judge Schiltz wrote: "The Court finds that the primary purpose of the challenged subpoenas is to coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government in enforcing civil immigration law, and to harass and retaliate against them for not doing so." He emphasized that this constituted unconstitutional conduct with no legal basis.
The case stems from a Department of Justice investigation launched amid the Trump administration's peak mass deportation campaign. The subpoenas demanded broad information on whether state officials' opposition to immigration raids amounted to obstructing the federal government.
Those raids sparked widespread protests across Minnesota, especially after a fatal shooting by federal agents killed two U.S. citizens. State officials denounced the campaign as a power grab and a threat to cities seen as bastions of resistance to the administration.
Governor Tim Walz, who was Kamala Harris's running mate in the 2024 election and a frequent target of Trump's criticism, welcomed the ruling. In a social media statement, he said: "Today's ruling is a victory for the rule of law and our democracy. A federal judge concluded that the Department of Justice investigation targeting me and other elected officials in Minnesota was politically motivated, unconstitutional, and baseless."
This is the latest blow to the Trump administration's efforts to investigate critics of its immigration policies. The administration has faced frequent criticism for using threats of prosecution and investigation to target political opponents. Earlier, the U.S. Justice Department also brought charges against 15 activists in Minnesota on allegations related to "domestic terrorism and organized political violence."
