Federal judge halts Trump administration effort to subpoena Walz in immigration enforcement probe

Federal judge halts Trump administration effort to subpoena Walz in immigration enforcement probe 1 of 4 | Federal immigration officers deploy tear gas at protesters after a shooting Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File) 2 of 4 | CORRECTS PRETTY TO PRETTI - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, right, and Attorney General Keith Ellison discuss the shooting of Alex Pretti during a news conference in Blaine, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr) 3 of 4 | Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks during the 94th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Jan. 29, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File) 4 of 4 | Protesters demonstrate against immigration-and-customs-enforcement" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="142597" data-entity-type="organization">immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck, File) By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, ERIC TUCKER and SCOTT BAUER Updated 8:10 PM MESZ, June 22, 2026 Leer en español Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit A federal judge has blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials, accusing the Justice Department of using its investigatory powers to retaliate against state officials for not cooperating with federal efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. In a ruling unsealed Monday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz found the “dominant purpose” of the subpoenas was to “coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration law and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.” Tensions between the Trump administration and Minnesota’s Democratic leaders escalated in January as federal immigration officers clashed with protesters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, especially after officers’ fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. President Donald Trump even threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell protests and accused Walz, who was Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate in 2024, and others of encouraging protesters to disrupt immigration-and-customs-enforcement" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="142597" data-entity-type="organization">immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. Judge finds ‘weak to nonexistent’ reasons for subpoenas The subpoenas seeking records were served in January as part of an investigation into whether Walz and other officials obstructed or impeded law enforcement actions. They were sent to the offices of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties. The ruling is the latest rebuke by the federal judiciary of Justice Department efforts to aggressively implement the Trump administration agenda in courts and target the president’s political adversaries through subpoenas and similar demands. The judge ruled that there appeared to be “extremely weak to nonexistent” connections between the information sought in the subpoenas and any possible criminal violation. The subpoenas seek materials “that largely if not entirely relate to constitutionally protected conduct,” the judge wrote, noting that Minnesota has the legal right not to devote its resources to enforcing federal immigration law. Judge blocks Trump administration’s demand for Rhode Island hospital’s records of transgender kids 4 MIN READ 28 Florida attorney general issues investigative subpoena to the NFL over the Rooney Rule 3 MIN READ 31 Federal prosecutors seek NYU hospital information on gender-affirming care for children 2 MIN READ The Justice Department “is not conducting a criminal investigation,” the judge wrote, “but is instead using the grand jury process for other (unlawful) purposes.” The evidence that the subpoenas were issued for unlawful reasons is overwhelming, the judge said, arguing that the Justice Department “has struggled — without success — to identify a single plausible investigatory justification” for them. The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Walz, in a statement, called the ruling “a victory for the rule of law and our democracy.” “The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing criminal investigations into the President’s political opponents,” said Walz, the 2024 Democratic nominee for vice president. “This case was just one example of that, but we are seeing daily reminders of this administration’s lawlessness — in Minnesota and around the country. We all must continue to seek justice and uphold the rule of law.” Ellison said “it should disturb every American that Donald Trump is weaponizing the criminal justice system against people he disagrees with.” The subpoenas “a politically motivated retaliation against our city for lawfully standing up to ICE and fighting for our residents,” Her said in a statement. Frey said the investigation was “never about justice, law, and order, but the absence of it.” “Subpoenaing political opponents because they spoke on behalf of their constituents violates the core tenets of our democracy and human decency,” he said. Frey also observed that criticizing government action is not a crime. “One of the defining strengths of our democracy is the ability to challenge those in power without fear of retribution. Elected officials have both the right and the responsibility to speak honestly about how government decisions affect the people they serve,” he said. Subpoenas were among many federal actions against Minnesota officials Over the last year, judges have dismissed indictments against two prominent Trump foes, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, and grand juries have repeatedly refused to return indictments sought by the Justice Department. The moves reflect mounting public concerns that the Justice Department, an institution meant to make investigative and prosecution decisions independent of the White House, is being politicized under the current Trump administration. Vice President JD Vance has separately called on the Justice Department to investigate Walz and Ellison over allegations they failed to stop widespread social services fraud, though the department has not said whether it will open an investigation. Walz and Ellison have described those allegations as politically motivated and defended their efforts to combat fraud in Minnesota. Meanwhile, other legal battles related to the immigration surge continue. The federal government has suggested Minnesota prosecutors don’t have jurisdiction to investigate federal officers. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty in March sued the administration for access to evidence in the Good and Pretti killings, accusing the administration of withholding evidence from state investigators. Moriarty also has pursued criminal charges against ICE officers in two other incidents, including the nonfatal shooting of a Venezuelan man, and suggests her office is investigating several other cases as well. Associated Press writer Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report. This story has been corrected to show the federal judge’s name is Patrick Schiltz, not Schlitz. ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Richer covers the Justice Department and federal courts. She joined The AP in 2013 and is based in Washington. twitter ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto SCOTT BAUER Bauer is the AP’s Statehouse reporter covering politics and state government in Madison, Wisconsin. He also writes music reviews. twitter mailto