Attorney General Todd Blanche Files Misconduct Complaint Against Federal Judges Over Immigration Crackdown Comments
Attorney General Todd Blanche has filed a misconduct complaint against several federal judges from Minnesota's district court bench. The complaint alleges that these judges violated judicial ethics by publicly discussing pending cases related to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown with The New York Times. Blanche asserted that the judges' conduct undermined public confidence in an impartial judiciary and demanded their recusal from cases involving the Department of Homeland Security. The controversy stems from a September 17 Times report detailing 'Operation Metro Surge,' a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota earlier this year, which led to over 1,000 habeas corpus petitions and the deaths of two U.S. citizens. Seven federal judges, including former chief judge Patrick Schiltz, expressed concerns about the government's actions in the report.
