DOJ files misconduct complaint against seven federal judges in Minnesota

DOJ Launches Misconduct Investigation Against Nearly All Federal Judges in Minnesota

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Wednesday that the Department of Justice has filed a misconduct complaint against all but one federal district judge in Minnesota.

The complaint targets the judges for speaking to The New York Times for an article published earlier this month about the federal government's immigration crackdown in the state.

"Seven federal judges in the District of Minnesota talked to The New York Times about cases, some of which are ongoing, in a manner that the Department of Justice views as a clear violation of their ethical duties," Blanche said during a press conference. "Their conduct has undermined public confidence in an impartial judiciary in Minnesota."

Key Details

• U.S. District Judge Patrick Schlitz, appointed by President George W. Bush, gave a 90-minute interview to the publication.
• Six other federal judges in Minnesota also spoke to the Times.
• Schlitz told the newspaper that the Trump administration's disregard for court orders during its immigration crackdown "created a grave threat to the rule of law."
• "I would say aloud to myself, 'This just never happens,'" Schlitz said, while declining to discuss active cases.
• Another judge, Tunheim, told the Times: "They weren't arresting, in my view, people who were dangerous criminals on the street."

Blanche attacked the judges' comments as "blatantly false" and said the DOJ has asked the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to investigate. He argued the judges should "recuse themselves from every case involving DHS, either criminal or civil in nature, because of the obvious bias they have shown in this article with The New York Times."

Such recusals would effectively halt federal court proceedings in Minnesota. Trump and Blanche have previously criticized federal judges who rule against the administration, calling them "activists."

While it is rare for federal judges to speak to the press, it is not illegal, and none of the targeted judges mentioned ongoing cases. Schlitz told the Times he believes the administration's violations of his court orders were "mostly inadvertent."

"My impression was that most, if not all, of the noncompliance was due to incompetence," Schlitz said, "not due to conscious defiance of orders."

Trump Plans 32-Day Campaign Blitz Ahead of Midterms

Donald Trump is planning to hit the campaign trail for 32 days before the midterm elections, placing him at the center of an election cycle in which Republican candidates have increasingly tried to distance themselves from his influence.

The schedule would put the president on the campaign trail for more than 94 percent of the time between now and November 3. The breakneck pace has also spurred health concerns for a president recently caught out of breath after descending stairs and climbing into his limo.

Republican Candidates Distancing Themselves

A growing list of pro-MAGA candidates have broken from Trump and his agenda:

• Florida Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar and Byron Donalds (the latter running for governor)
• Maine Republican gubernatorial candidate Bobby Charles
• Texas Republican congressional candidate Carlos De La Cruz

Some hopeful office seekers have stripped their websites and campaign materials of Trump's name, following advice the White House offered in July when staffers explicitly encouraged midterm-bound Republicans to split from Trump.

Key Issues Weighing on Trump's Popularity

• The seemingly endless Iran war
• Rising cost of living
• Economy and supply chain disruptions from Trump's tariffs
• Health care costs
• AI encroachment and data centers in American communities

Polling Data

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published late last month found:

• Just 13 percent of Americans strongly approve of the president, compared to 23 percent in a 2025 YouGov poll.
• Only 35 percent of surveyed conservatives "strongly approved" of Trump's job during his second term.
• 41 percent of registered voters said they would vote for a Democratic candidate if the presidential election were held today.

Despite the data, Trump insisted to reporters Tuesday that "they all want me to go campaign."

"I'm one person," Trump said. "They all want me to go campaign."

Trump Administration Seeks to Deport Hasidic Jew for Protesting Israel

Yehonatan Ovadia, a religious teacher in Rockland County, New York, had his visa revoked by the federal government for participating in an October 2023 protest against Israel's actions in Gaza, according to The New York Times.

Background

• Ovadia belongs to Satmar, an anti-Zionist religious sect that believes a Jewish state cannot be established before the arrival of the messiah.
• At the protest, an Israeli flag disappeared from a local town hall.
• Ovadia and another sect member were charged with hate crimes before pleading guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct and paying a fine in early 2024.
• In August, the federal government revoked his religious worker visa, and ICE detained him at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
• Ovadia, an Israeli citizen who has been in the U.S. since 2022, said he took part in the protest but did not tear down the flag.

Legal Response

Ovadia's lawyers sued the government in August, arguing that the government was punishing him for religious and political expression and conflating that with antisemitism.

"He's against the Israeli government and the existence of the state of Israel for religious reasons, but to claim that he's an antisemite is the peak of absurdity," said Eric Lee, one of his attorneys.

Ovadia told the Times: "We demonstrated for Gaza, for the liberation of Gaza, for the rights of the Palestinians and to show to the world that the Jews, real Judaism, want to have peace."

Government Statement

"It is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live in the United States of America," the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. "The Trump administration acted well within its statutory and constitutional authority, as it does with any alien who advocates for violence, glorifies and supports terrorists, harasses Jews and steals property."

Broader Context

The White House has targeted noncitizen pro-Palestinian activists for deportation since President Trump signed an executive order directing DHS to pursue antisemitic activities. When Ovadia applied for an extension to his religious worker visa in 2025, the government demanded court documents and police records, then stripped him of his legal status.

Ovadia's lawyers plan to request his release at a bond hearing Wednesday. If the government prevails, Ovadia could be deported to the country he was protesting against.

Federal Government Using Anti-Drug Program to Collect License Plate Data Nationwide

Cities across the U.S. are being forced to turn over their license plate reader data to the Trump administration through a 1980s anti-drug trafficking program, according to 404 Media.

How It Works

• The federal government is using the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program to collect data from Flock, Axon, and other cameras used by local police.
• The data is centralized on government servers and made available to other law enforcement agencies.
• Data collected by HIDTA can also be shared with the National License Plate Reader Program run by the Drug Enforcement Agency.
• The program allows the federal government to bypass local and state restrictions on Flock and similar license plate reader companies without oversight.

Background

The HIDTA program is part of the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, which was recently recognized by the Trump administration for "managing an automated license plate reader platform that brings together all levels of law enforcement."

In many states, local police departments cannot set up license plate cameras without agreeing to send their data to the federal government. In Georgia, for example, cities must sign a memorandum of understanding promising to send their data to the HIDTA program.

Public Backlash

Flock cameras have faced backlash from the American public over warrant-free surveillance and data collection. They have been abused by local police to spy on people unrelated to law enforcement investigations and have inspired protests at municipal meetings.

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