Minnesota Judges Coordinated on 1,427 Trump Detention Cases as DOJ Questions Recusal
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 18
Minnesota Judges Coordinated on 1,427 Trump Detention Cases as DOJ Questions Recusal
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 18
Summary
Seven Minnesota federal judges handling Operation Metro Surge habeas petitions used email chains, regular meetings, clerk spreadsheets and order templates to manage a caseload that reached 1,427 cases through August.
Chief Judge Eric Tostrud said each judge still ruled independently, arguing the court faced many similar, often novel questions after petitions jumped from 12 in all of 2024 to 1,116 in the first three months of 2026.
The disclosures triggered criticism from the Trump administration: DHS accused the former chief judge of conspiring against immigration enforcement, while DOJ said judges who publicly commented on related matters should consider recusal.
What the judges shared remains unclear because internal working materials are not public, and legal experts said routine administrative coordination is common but substantive templates or cross-case influence would raise sharper ethics concerns.
The scrutiny lands amid a broader fight over Metro Surge, after former Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz accused ICE in January of violating nearly 100 court orders, claims DOJ later said were overstated in most cases.