Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday hailed a federal appeals court decision that lifted restrictions on how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents can respond to protesters in Minnesota, calling the ruling a victory "against judicial activism."
A three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday placed an indefinite stay on a Jan. 16 lower-court order that barred officers from arresting, detaining, pepper-spraying, or retaliating against protesters in Minneapolis. The initial order will remain on hold while the government's appeal proceeds.
"Liberal judges tried to handcuff our federal law enforcement officers, restrict their actions, and put their safety at risk when responding to violent agitators. The DOJ [Department of Justice] went to court. We got a temporary stay," Bondi said in a post on X.
"NOW, the 8th Circuit has fully agreed that this reckless attempt to undermine law enforcement cannot stand," she added.
The panel said the lower court's order was overly broad and vague, improperly restricting law enforcement across varying protest situations.
"We accessed and viewed the same videos the district court did," the appeals court said in the ruling. "What they show is observers and protesters engaging in a wide range of conduct, some of it peaceful but much of it not. They also show federal agents responding in various ways."
The 8th Circuit last week granted the Trump administration a stay on the ruling by District Judge Kate Menendez, a Joe Biden appointee, from Jan. 16. In the order, Menendez ruled in part that federal agents could not stop or detain protesters unless they were "forcibly obstructing or interfering with" agents.
The legal action comes amid scrutiny over federal enforcement tactics in the city. Protests have continued across Minneapolis following two deadly encounters this month, where federal agents fatally shot citizens Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Saturday during protests of federal immigration operations.
Federal ICE agents deployed in Minneapolis as part of a massive immigration enforcement surge have faced escalating confrontations with protesters, including clashes in the streets, pepper-spray tactics, and tense standoffs.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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