Minnesota Sues Trump Administration Over Access to Evidence in Federal Agent Shootings
Minnesota officials have sued the Trump administration, asking a court to require federal agencies to turn over evidence they say is needed to investigate three shootings involving federal officers, including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, seeks a court order compelling the release of investigative materials tied to the incidents. The filing states that federal agencies initially indicated they would cooperate but later refused to share key information, preventing state authorities from determining whether state laws were violated.
The dispute centers on whether Minnesota can investigate the shootings without federal cooperation. The question before the court is whether the federal government can refuse to share evidence that a state says is necessary to carry out its investigation.
Federal and state authorities can both have jurisdiction over the same incident, particularly in criminal cases, even when federal officers are involved. Federal officials have suggested that Minnesota lacks authority to investigate the actions of federal agents, but state officials dispute that position, arguing that conduct within state borders that may violate state criminal law falls within local prosecutors’ responsibility.
When federal agencies control investigative materials, states may ask a court to order their release. Courts may weigh the state’s interest in enforcing its laws against the federal government’s interest in controlling its investigations and records.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the federal government has adopted a policy of withholding evidence, describing the approach as what she called unprecedented. She said the state made formal requests for access but was blocked from reviewing materials tied to the shootings.
The Justice Department said in January it opened a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti’s killing but declined to pursue a similar review in Good’s case. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the department evaluates each case based on its specific facts and does not investigate every law enforcement shooting.
The filing also seeks evidence related to the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was wounded in January. Federal authorities initially accused Sosa-Celis and another man of assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, but prosecutors later dropped the charges.
The lawsuit is tied to Operation Metro Surge, a large-scale immigration enforcement effort carried out under President Donald Trump’s national deportation campaign. Federal officials deployed thousands of officers to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, and the Department of Homeland Security described the operation as a success. Minnesota leaders raised concerns about officer conduct during the operation and called for an independent review.
Minnesota is asking the court to order federal agencies to turn over the requested evidence.
