Federal Judge Invalidates DOJ Subpoenas for Tim Walz

WHO:

CNN - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties are involved.

CNN - Judge Patrick Schiltz, a federal district judge, issued the ruling.

WHAT:

CNN - A federal judge blocked subpoenas from the Justice Department aimed at Tim Walz and other officials.

CNN - The judge described the subpoenas as “part of an unconstitutional effort to coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration laws and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.”

ABC News - The subpoenas were tied to a probe regarding cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

WHERE:

CNN - The events are related to Minnesota and its officials.

WHY:

CNN - The judge found that the Justice Department was not conducting a criminal investigation but was instead using the grand jury process for “other (unlawful) purposes.”

HOW:

CNN - The subpoenas sought records and information on whether Democratic officials had obstructed immigration enforcement through their public resistance to the Trump administration’s deployment of agents to detain migrants accused of living in the US illegally.

(UPDATED June 22, 2026 20:05 UTC)

A federal judge has blocked subpoenas from the Justice Department that were aimed at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and other officials, describing them as part of an unconstitutional effort to coerce state leaders into assisting with federal immigration enforcement. Judge Patrick Schiltz found that the Justice Department was not conducting a legitimate criminal investigation but was instead misusing the grand jury process for unlawful purposes. The subpoenas sought information on whether Democratic officials had obstructed immigration enforcement by resisting the Trump administration's deployment of agents to detain migrants living in the U.S. illegally.