Federal judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit against Minnesota

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Trump administration against the state of Minnesota and several of its local governments over so-called sanctuary policies on Monday, July 20, 2026. The ruling by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Eric C. Tostrud represents a significant legal victory for state and local officials who have resisted federal pressure to participate in civil immigration enforcement.

The Justice Department filed the lawsuit in September 2025 against the state, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The federal government argued that a series of state statutes and local ordinances interfered with its ability to enforce immigration laws and violated the Constitution's Supremacy Clause. The challenged policies included a state law limiting access to driver's license and vehicle registration data for immigration enforcement, local ordinances barring city resources from being used to aid federal immigration efforts, and a legal opinion advising county jails not to detain individuals based solely on federal immigration holds.

In a 56-page order, Judge Tostrud, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, granted...