Washington DC - The Department of Justice asked a court on Wednesday to punish judges in Minnesota who spoke to the media and criticized aggressive raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It was the latest twist in a clash between the Trump administration and various federal judges who have at times thwarted his drive to deport millions of immigrants.

On September 17, The New York Times published an article that quoted Judge Patrick Schiltz, the chief judge at Minnesota's federal district court during a series of ICE raids last winter in Minneapolis, and six of the judge's colleagues on the bench.

Schiltz had gained notoriety during the peak of those raids by saying publicly that ICE had probably violated more court orders in January 2026 than other federal agencies had in their entire decades of existence.

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In an interview for the Times article, Schiltz said ICE's behavior had sparked such chaos in his court that it "created a grave threat to the rule of law." He said he thought the violations of court orders stemmed mainly from incompetence and staffing shortages.

It is rare for a judge to speak out publicly like that, the Times said. He and the other six judges quoted in the article declined to talk about ongoing cases, but did agree to address the tumult of last winter during the ICE operation.

The Justice Department announced Wednesday it had filed a judicial misconduct complaint against Schiltz and the other six judges at a federal appeals court. It accuses them of ethics violations by speaking publicly about cases pending in court.

The department asked an appeals court to investigate these judges, Attorney General Todd Blanche told a press conference.

"These judges are commenting publicly on pending and impending cases and making political statements on matters that are or have been before them," Blanche wrote on X.

"This is a flagrant violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct, and when judges repeatedly exceed their authority – then launch a partisan press campaign – that is a threat to the rule of law."