Judges are regularly threatening contempt charges against the DOJ in immigration cases

239 points by cnn 23 hours ago on reddit | 15 comments

TeamHope4 | 23 hours ago

Maybe if they had actually charged them for contempt, they might do fewer contemptuous things? I don't know, judges, but you should give it a try. Threatening them with charges isn't doing squat.

mhyquel | 18 hours ago

If I tell my kids they'll lose their PS5 privileges if they don't stop jumping on each other on the couch, but they keep jumping on each other on the couch and then I don't take away the PS5...of course they're going to start shooting unarmed civilians.

TeamHope4 | 3 hours ago

That actually is the "broken windows" policing policy.

Accomplished_Self939 | 10 hours ago

Doesn’t seem to be working, does it?

dryheat122 | 23 hours ago

Stop threatening, start doing. After the first few ICE officials are thrown in jail, the problem will stop.

AyeMatey | 22 hours ago

It’s history of “you’re REALLY gonna be in trouble now!” warnings.

[OP] cnn | 23 hours ago

In some two dozen cases stemming from President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota that CNN has reviewed, federal judges appointed to the bench by Democrats and Republicans have had to use terms like “contempt” and “noncompliance” to get the government’s attention to respond to court orders.

To date, it doesn’t appear that any judge in the District of Minnesota has held an agency official or Justice Department attorney in civil contempt of court or imposed sanctions in cases related to Operation Metro Surge. But the sheer number of threats is significant.

Many of the punishment threats have arisen in cases where judges concluded that an immigrant was unlawfully arrested and must immediately be released. Other compliance issues have bubbled up when Immigration and Customs Enforcement releases a noncitizen with certain conditions that they weren’t subject to prior to their arrest, enraging a judge who never gave permission to impose such constraints.

“This is clearly not tenable,” Judge Laura Provinzino, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, told one top government attorney late last month. “I can’t continue to have (federal prosecutors) violating really important orders … If somebody should be released, that has to happen.”

The potential punishments highlight the smoldering tension between the federal judiciary, which has had to handle scores of cases brought by immigrants claiming they were unlawfully detained in recent weeks, and the lawyers defending the Trump administration’s operation, who often have little insight into the actions of their agency clients or the ability to sufficiently keep up with the pace of litigation.

mensrea | 23 hours ago

Giving us a clear view of what empty threats do. Nothing.

WileyCoyote7 | 22 hours ago

Words. Just words. To quote Jim Morrison, “The time to hesitate is through.” Actions. Actions are what matter and are what is needed now. And, more importantly, the means to enforce them.

These judges are threatening the agents/officials/administrators of the Federal Gov’t…and expecting…what? They know they are violating the law, they know they are willfully ignoring orders and mandates, they know they are trampling over people’s rights, due process, and procedures for use of (deadly) force. And they <clears throat> DON’T FUCKING CARE.

Judges, keep filing your complaints, your memos, findings, and make sure you send them hard-copy, in triplicate, because they need plenty of that paper to wipe their ass with. Bullies do not respond to reason. Dictators do not stop when empty threats against them are made. And fascists sure as hell will not back down when they have power and momentum behind them.

Mission-Driver1614 | 21 hours ago

And shockingly, being regularly threatened without actually making good on the threats have only reinforced to Trump’s gestapo agents that they are untouchable.

Maloram | 21 hours ago

Don’t make me count to three!

livejamie | 12 hours ago

Oh no, are they going to write a strongly worded letter?

Iamanimite | 20 hours ago

At some point, it's moot with the bullshit of professional courtesy to these NAZIS. Round them up until it stops.

BentoBus | an hour ago

Probably a lot of “do you know who my dad is” energy going on there.