Todd Blanche announced that the Justice Department filed a judicial-misconduct complaint on September 30, 2026, against nearly all active federal judges in Minnesota over comments they gave to The New York Times.
The Department of Justice press release says the complaint alleges judges made “improper and unethical comments” to the newspaper, and it names the filing as a formal judicial-conduct complaint to the U.S. judiciary system.
Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared in public materials announcing the filing and framed it as an enforcement of the code of judicial conduct; the DOJ press release carries the department’s account of the complaint and the date of filing.
Reporting from outlets including Politico and The Washington Post confirmed the Department filed complaints against “all but one” of Minnesota’s active district judges, saying the filings relate to interviews and comments about an immigration enforcement surge that were published in The New York Times.
Legal-ethics guidance issued earlier in 2026 is part of the backdrop: the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Codes of Conduct published an advisory opinion in February saying federal judges may speak on certain judiciary matters while setting limits on other commentary.
How the misconduct process proceeds is governed by judicial rules: complaints are considered by other judges or circuit officials, who may dismiss them or appoint an investigator, according to coverage explaining the procedure.
The story is developing and the DOJ materials and multiple news outlets are the basis for this report; readers can find additional background on the filing and Blanche’s role in earlier coverage.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice — press release announcing the judicial-misconduct complaint and date (Sept. 30, 2026)
- Politico — coverage confirming the complaint and quotes from Justice Department statements
- The Washington Post — reporting that the complaints targeted “all but one” active Minnesota federal judge and described the subject comments
- Committee on Codes of Conduct / US Courts reporting — February 2026 advisory opinion on judges’ public comments used as background
