Federal judge blocks Trump administration subpoenas to Minnesota officials

U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz ruled that the Justice Department's subpoenas issued to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Attorney General Keith Ellison and other state officials lacked a legitimate investigatory basis. The judge found the "dominant purpose" of the subpoenas was to coerce the officials into assisting federal immigration enforcement and to retaliate for their perceived lack of cooperation, describing the justification as "extremely weak to nonexistent" and noting the requests largely concerned constitutionally protected conduct.

The decision was welcomed by the targeted officials as a victory for the rule of law, with Walz calling it a defense of democracy. The Justice Department responded that it would continue to act in full compliance with the law in its investigations. The ruling marks a rare judicial rebuke of the Trump administration's aggressive use of grand‑jury subpoenas against political opponents.