A federal judge has blocked an attempt by the #Trump admin to subpoena #Minnesota Gov #TimWalz & other #state officials, calling it an effort to “harass & retaliate against them.”

In a ruling unsealed Monday, US District Judge Patrick Schlitz found the “dominant purpose” of the subpoenas was to “coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil #immigration #law & to harass & retaliate against them for failing to do so.”

#MafiaState
https://apnews.com/article/immigration-enforcement-minnesota-subpoenas-e5047e842da6181cbd5f071ab4bb1d7b

Judge halts effort to subpoena Minnesota Gov. Walz in immigration enforcement probe

A federal judge has blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials, calling it an effort to “harass and retaliate against them.” U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz found in a ruling unsealed Monday that 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.” The subpoenas were served in January as part of an investigation into whether Walz and other officials obstructed or impeded law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Walz calls the ruling “a victory for the rule of law and our democracy.”

AP News

The subpoenas were served in January as part of an investigation into whether Gov #TimWalz & other officials obstructed or impeded law enforcement during a sweeping #immigration operation in the #Minneapolis#StPaul area.

The subpoenas, which seek records, were sent to the offices of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her & officials in Ramsey & Hennepin counties.

#law #MafiaState #Trump

The judge ruled that there appeared to be “extremely weak to nonexistent” connections between the information sought in the subpoenas & 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.

#law #MafiaState #Trump

The #DOJ “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.

#law #immigration #MafiaState #Trump

@Nonilex Trump accuses others of weaponising justice while weaponising #justice! Typical #Trump.
@Nonilex Just to be clear, the word in parentheses in the first paragraph of your post — “unlawful” — that’s the judge’s word, not your comment, correct?

@Twotired

Correct. If it’s my words I use brackets [ ] not parentheses ( ).

@Nonilex Got it; thanks!

Judge Schlitz was not mincing words!

Pœn! That's the word that I was looking for the other day!

@Nonilex

you'd think that an administration so obviously avid about fishing expeditions should be more concerned about our national parks and rivers. ;)

@Nonilex

So who is getting charged with coercion? It's about time there were actual consequences for the threats.