President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is pushing to sideline Minnesota federal judges overseeing at least 50 ongoing immigration cases, a move critics warn threatens judicial independence, according to an exclusive PunchUp investigation.
The publication warned Tuesday that the “extraordinary demand could disrupt dozens of active cases involving the administration’s deadly immigration crackdown.”
“DOJ leaders aren’t interested in an independent judiciary, and they’re willing to bully and intimidate judges until they get what they want,” Stacey Young, executive director of Justice Connection, told PunchUp. The nonprofit supports current and former DOJ civil servants.
“The administration’s unprecedented and inhumane immigration enforcement has already caused chaos in Minnesota’s federal courts,” she said. “DOJ’s latest stunt will only add fuel to the fire.”
The department wants seven judges who discussed the administration’s Minnesota immigration crackdown with The New York Times to recuse themselves from “any matter involving” the Department of Homeland Security.
PunchUp identified at least 50 ongoing DHS-related cases before six publicly identified judges. The seventh judge’s identity remains unknown
“They include challenges to ICE detention, attempts to prevent immigrants from being transferred or deported, and broader litigation over the Trump administration’s hardline enforcement tactics,” PunchUp reported Tuesday. “Several involve judges who have already ordered detainees released or restricted ICE actions while litigation continues.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche accused the judges of violating their ethical duties. The department asked the Eighth Circuit’s Judicial Council to investigate.
But the judges defended speaking publicly, citing ethics guidance allowing them to defend judicial independence and the rule of law.