DOJ files ethics complaint against Minnesota federal judges

The Justice Department filed a judicial misconduct complaint with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on September 30, 2026, over Minnesota federal judges’ interviews about immigration enforcement, and asked them to step aside from cases involving the Department of Homeland Security. The complaint alleges ethical violations; the court has not issued a finding on whether the judges breached judicial rules. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department believes the judges’ comments showed bias against DHS and included discussion of matters still pending before them. He said the complaint asks the Eighth Circuit to investigate and seeks recusal from civil and criminal cases involving the department. Blanche did not announce a blanket request to pause those cases, and said the Justice Department would decide how to proceed after the investigation. The complaint concerns interviews for a September 17 article about the effects of the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota on the federal court. Reports described its scope as nearly all active district judges in the state, but the Justice Department did not identify the judge it said was excluded.