Seven federal judges working in Minnesota are facing misconduct investigations over their comments to the media about the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operation in the state, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the DOJ was asking the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to consider whether comments by Patrick J. Schiltz, a President George W.
Bush appointee, and John R. Tunheim, appointed by President Bill Clinton, violated judicial rules on commenting on active cases. Five other justices were not named in the complaint, which outlines the DOJ's concerns around interviews the group gave to The New York Times for a September 17 article about the surge in Minneapolis and St.
Paul earlier this year, in which Schiltz described the operation as a threat to democracy. The Times article was based around a sit-down interview with Schiltz, after he used strong language in court orders relating to Operation Metro Surge earlier this year, during which thousands of federal agents descended on the Twin Cities to arrest alleged illegal immigrants, locals pushed back through widespread protests, and two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by ICE and CBP officers. As part of the interview, Schiltz said that if there was no rule of law, then the United States was effectively faced with anarchy or authoritarianism, and gave Russia, China, and North Korea as examples.
"If anything is a 'grave threat to the rule of law,' it is judges who repeatedly and brazenly exceed their authority—then launch a partisan press campaign that includes criticizing the government for filing an emergency appeal when a judge refused torule on a search warrant application," the DOJ complaint read. Blanche said during the Wednesday morning press briefing, which was initially about alleged voter fraud, that the judges had broken the laws governing how federal judges operate, particularly when it comes to pending cases. The DOJ is asking the judges on the list—most of the Minnesota District Court bench—to recuse themselves from any cases linked to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) while the investigation takes place.
Newsweek reached out to the DOJ and The New York Times for further comment Wednesday morning. This is a breaking news story. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant and Sam Wilson.
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