Former judges defend Minnesota judges who spoke to press about ICE surge
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
Quick Read
A group of 174 bipartisan former judges has signed a letter defending seven Minnesota District judges who are the subject of a judicial misconduct complaint filed by the Department of Justice.
The Minnesota judges gave interviews to the New York Times published in September about ICE defying court orders.
The complaint alleges the judges' statements were unethical and partisan. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche also called on the judges to recuse themselves from any case involving the Department of Homeland Security, alleging they had bias against the administration.
The letter, co-signed by several retired Minnesota judges including former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Magnuson, said the complaint is baseless and that the judges' statements were already made public in court documents.
“Instead of dealing with the government’s defiance of judicial orders, the government filed disciplinary charges against the Minnesota judges who lawfully called out their misconduct,” said Nancy Gertner, former United States district judge for the District of Massachusetts, in a statement released Tuesday by a nonpartisan group called Democracy Defenders Fund. “174 retired judges have signed this letter making it clear that there is no basis for those charges.”
In a statement to MPR News in September, Judge Patrick Schiltz said he was acting “well within the ethical rules that apply to federal judges in speaking to the New York Times."
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
