The Justice Department has accused almost every federal district judge in Minnesota of violating ethics rules after they spoke to the media about pending immigration litigation. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced a misconduct complaint filed with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals targeting all but one judge in the district. The filing alleges the judges gave unethical and partisan interviews to the New York Times regarding the immigration surge, leading the DOJ to seek their recusal from all cases involving the Department of Homeland Security.

Filed in partnership with the Article 3 Project, the complaint claims the officials made political statements on matters currently or recently before their courts. Judicial canons prohibit judges from making public comments on pending cases or issuing policy statements about cases within their jurisdiction. The DOJ is now calling for a full investigation into the judges' alleged bias against immigration authorities and the DHS.