Judge Quashes "Blatantly Unlawful" DOJ Subpoenas Targeting Walz And Ellison In ICE-Obstruction Case

A federal judge has quashed six DOJ grand jury subpoenas issued to Minnesota officials, including Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties.

US District Judge Patrick J. Schlitz ruled that the subpoenas amounted to harassment, and said that the Justice Department inquiry into whether Minnesota officials obstructed or impeded law enforcement is illegitimate. 

"Initiating a criminal investigation in order to harass political opponents or to coerce them into taking official action, particularly official action that the federal government cannot directly require those political opponents to take, is a blatantly unlawful and unethical use [of] the grand-jury process," Schlitz wrote in his ruling. 

Tensions between the Trump administration and Minnesota's Democratic leadership came to a boiling point in January amid clashes between federal immigration enforcement officers and protesters in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Area, which included the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, social justice warriors who paid the ultimate price.

The DOJ told the Epoch Times in an email that "The Department takes the unlawful obstruction of federal law enforcement operations extremely seriously and will continue to act in full compliance with the law to investigate these matters."

Walz hit back in a statement, saying "The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing criminal investigations into the President’s political opponents.

"This case was just one example of that, but we are seeing daily reminders of this administration’s lawlessness—in Minnesota and around the country. We all must continue to seek justice and uphold the law."

Looks like we'll never get to the bottom of this...

🚨REPORT: Minnesota anti-ICE Signal group leader has been identified as Amanda Koehler, a ‘protest’ organizer & campaign strategist for Tim Walz. https://t.co/CeBLKfHJfa

— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) January 24, 2026