A federal judge in Minnesota has quashed six grand jury subpoenas that the US Justice Department issued to state and local officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, ruling that the demands were issued to harass and coerce them over their refusal to assist federal immigration enforcement. The decision, unsealed on Monday, blocks the department’s attempt to compel testimony and records from the offices of the governor, the state attorney general, two mayors, and two county boards.

In his ruling, US District Judge Patrick Schiltz, an appointee of President George W. Bush, wrote that the “dominant purpose” of the subpoenas was to pressure Minnesota officials into enforcing civil immigration laws and to retaliate against them for failing to do so. He found that the Justice Department “has struggled — without success — to identify a single plausible investigatory justification” and that the evidence of improper motive was “overwhelming.” The judge noted that the federal government cannot compel state authorities to carry out federal immigration duties, and that the subpoenas sought material related to constitutionally protected conduct.

Minnesota officials welcomed the ruling as a defence of democratic norms. Governor Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 2024, called it “a victory for the rule of law and our democracy,” while Attorney General Keith Ellison said the investigation should “disturb every American.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated that the subpoenas were “never about justice, law, and order, but the absence of it.” A Justice Department spokesperson told Forbes 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.” The department did not immediately indicate whether it would appeal.

The subpoenas originated from a criminal investigation opened after Minnesota officials sued to halt Operation Metro Surge, a Trump-era immigration enforcement surge in the Twin Cities that prompted protests and the fatal shooting of two US citizens by federal agents. Viewed from Washington, the case forms part of a wider pattern: the Justice Department under President Donald Trump has launched investigations into several Democratic elected officials, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Legal observers note that the ruling, while subject to appeal, reinforces constitutional limits on the use of grand jury powers to pursue political adversaries. The judge’s order does not affect a separate criminal referral made by Vice President JD Vance concerning alleged fraud schemes in Minnesota, the status of which remains unclear.