DOJ files misconduct complaint against federal judges in Minnesota

The Justice Department has filed a judicial misconduct complaint against nearly every federal district judge in Minnesota, an unusual move that follows interviews several of them gave to the New York Times about the government's conduct during its immigration enforcement surge. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the filing with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, saying the government has a right to a fair and impartial judge and has "no choice but to act." At the same press conference he said prosecutors obtained an indictment of 10 noncitizens accused of voting illegally in earlier elections, according to CBS News.

The complaint centers on a Times story in which Judge Patrick Schiltz, a George W. Bush appointee, spoke for 90 minutes about what he described as repeated violations of court orders by the administration. The filing names Schiltz and Judge John Tunheim, a Bill Clinton appointee who disputed the administration's claim that it was arresting the "worst of the worst." Trent McCotter, the acting deputy attorney general, and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward signed it, calling the judges' remarks unethical and overly political. They asked the appeals court to bar both judges from Homeland Security matters and to investigate Minnesota judges who "covet publicity."

Operation Metro Surge began in December 2025 with more than 3,000 immigration officers. Schiltz had earlier identified 96 violated orders across 74 cases. Tom Homan announced in February that the operation was ending.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News →