Minnesota Sues Trump Administration Over Federal Role in Controversial Shootings
Flowers and photos are left at a memorial site for Renee Good on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Minnesota state officials have taken the unusual step of suing the administration of President Trump, alleging federal obstruction in their efforts to investigate three controversial shootings involving federal law enforcement officers. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The legal action, brought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, and the superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, targets the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. It accuses those federal agencies of refusing to share key evidence and basic information that state investigators say they need to review the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, as well as the nonfatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis.
State leaders argue that cooperation between Minnesota law enforcement and federal authorities has broken down since “Operation Metro Surge,” a large immigration enforcement deployment in the Twin Cities area. They say federal officials have blocked access to crime scenes, declined to provide names of federal agents involved, and withheld materials such as weapons, vehicles, surveillance footage, and Pretti’s cellphone video.
The lawsuit describes this broad refusal to turn over evidence as unjustified and contrary to long‑standing cooperative practices. It contends that the federal government’s actions undermine Minnesota’s authority under the U.S. Constitution to enforce its own criminal laws and could be intended to protect federal officers from potential criminal prosecution.
Minnesota is asking a federal judge to order the Justice Department and Homeland Security to release the requested evidence so state authorities can continue evaluating whether to bring criminal charges in the cases. Both agencies have not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
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