DOJ Seeks Recusal of Two Minnesota Judges

The Justice Department has asked two Minnesota federal judges to recuse themselves from separate immigration-related cases, arguing that their public comments about immigration enforcement raise doubts about their impartiality. The motions, filed by Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, target U.S. District Judges Patrick Schiltz and John Tunheim. Neither motion has been resolved. Schiltz is presiding over the government’s effort to revoke the U.S. citizenship of Salah Osman Ahmed. Tunheim is handling the prosecution of Hester Sophia Weihmann, a South African permanent resident charged with illegally voting in the 2024 election. Weihmann has pleaded not guilty, according to one account of the case. In the motion concerning Schiltz, Woodward argued that the judge’s remarks showed he had taken sides on immigration enforcement and should not oversee a case tied to the government’s denaturalization efforts. Schiltz had spoken publicly about the effects of immigration enforcement on Minnesota’s federal courts and said that violations of court orders threatened the rule of law. Woodward’s motion concerning Tunheim cited the judge’s comment that, in his view, immigration...