MINNESOTA — U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz quashed six federal grand jury subpoenas on June 17, 2026, finding that they constituted an unlawful abuse of the grand jury process. The subpoenas, served on January 20, 2026, targeted Minnesota state and local officials.

The subpoenas sought records dating to January 1, 2025, related to the enforcement of federal immigration laws and cooperation with federal authorities. Schiltz ruled that the subpoenas' primary purpose was to compel Minnesota officials to help the federal government enforce civil immigration law and to retaliate against them for not doing so.

Schiltz stated in his ruling that using grand jury proceedings to pressure political opponents into official action is "a blatantly unlawful and unethical use of the grand-jury process." He added, "The only question, then, is whether the challenged subpoenas were issued for one of these forbidden purposes. The Court has no doubt that they were." Schiltz also noted that the Justice Department "has struggled — without success — to identify a single plausible investigatory justification for the subpoenas."

The ruling was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. The subpoenas targeted Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, and the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners.

Governor Tim Walz called the ruling "a victory for the rule of law and our democracy." Walz said, "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 rule of law."

Attorney General Keith Ellison said, "It should disturb every American that Donald Trump is weaponizing the criminal justice system against people he disagrees with."