“We are at an inflection point in Minnesota,” said Jim Schultz, the Republican-endorsed candidate for attorney general.
Read MoreMinnesota Attorney General’s Office Only Has One Criminal Prosecutor; Jim Schultz Says He’ll Change That
Tag: Keith Ellison
Democratic State Attorneys General Ask Biden to Fully Forgive All Student Loan Debt
Seven state attorneys general, and an eighth from Puerto Rico, have called upon President Joe Biden to fully cancel federal student debt estimated at more than $1.6 trillion.
The U.S. Education Department reports more than 43 million borrowers on average owe $37,000 in student loan debt. The USED already has forgiven $17 billion in student loan debt held by 725,000 borrowers since the beginning of the Biden administration.
Read MoreMinnesota Attorney General Warns NFL It Could Face Investigation of Treatment of Women and Minority Groups
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison warned National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell that he shares “grave concerns” with five other state attorneys general about the league’s treatment of women.
The attorneys general also said in their Wednesday letter to Goodell they may open an investigation. Along with Ellison, the attorneys general of Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington and New York signed the letter in response to the New York Times’ February report that more than 30 former employees of the NFL said the league’s culture was demoralizing.
Read MoreMinnesota Prosecutors Disagree on Appropriate Sentence in Kim Potter Case
Two prosecutors who participated in the case against former Brooklyn Center Police officer Kimberly Potter are at odds over her sentencing.
Imran Ali was the original prosecutor in Potter’s case. But he stepped down, citing the politically charged environment around her prosecution, and paved the way for Minnesota Attorney General Kieth Ellison’s office to take over the case.
Read MoreMinnesota Attorney General Ellison ‘Doing Bidding of Special Interest Groups’ Regarding Green Energy, Lawsuit Alleges
Attorney General Keith Ellison has been “doing the bidding of special interest groups” regarding green energy, a lawsuit alleges. The New House Republican Caucus shared on their Facebook page that the oral arguments were heard in the Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday and a decision can be expected within 30 days.
Read MoreEllison Admits ‘Defund Police’ Slogan Was a Tactical Mistake for Progressives
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison apparently thinks Democrats should have sought to defund the police without saying “defund the police.”
“I think allowing this moniker, ‘defund the police,’ to ever get out there, was not a good thing,” he recently told Washington Post reporter David Weigel. This comment followed an election in Minneapolis in which voters rejected a measure that would have replaced the police with a largely unarmed “Department of Public Safety.”
While Ellison’s most recent comment has drawn significant media attention, this position is not new — the AG has long wanted to reduce policing, only taking issue with the slogan his fellow progressives often use.
Read MoreChauvin Prosecutors Want Wording Changed in Memo
Those who were involved in prosecuting former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin want the judge to change wording in the memo. According to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, they want the wording to be changed to indicate that the girls who witnessed the death of George Floyd did in fact experience trauma.
Read MoreMinnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Says Chauvin Sentencing ‘Not Justice’
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a press conference that, “Today’s sentencing is not justice, but it is another moment of real accountability on the road to justice.” Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced on Friday to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty for the murder George Floyd on all counts in his trial that took place in April.
Read MoreGeorge Floyd Square Still Occupied and Seemingly Supported by Attorney General Keith Ellison
In a TikTok video dating May 8, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison appears to be registering voters with the “gatekeeper” of George Floyd Square, Marcia Howard. In the video, Howard says that she is there protesting for the “24 Demands,” while Ellison nods and smiles along.
Read MoreMinnesota Attorney General Sues Two More Restaurants Open for Dine-In Service
Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office yesterday filed lawsuits against two restaurants that have been open for dine-in despite the governor’s executive orders. Cornerstone Café in Monticello and Cork in Anoka are Ellison’s latest projects.
Ellison’s office issued a statement that says these restaurants have been running in “open violation” of Gov. Tim Walz’ orders, putting the “community at risk by violating ban on on-premises dining intended to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
Read MoreNearly 100 Million Americans Voted Early; Hawaii, Texas Already Exceed 2016 Turnout
Roughly 100 million early votes already were cast before the first polls opened Tuesday morning, Michael McDonald, professor at the University of Florida, says. He runs the Election Project, which tracks polling and election data by state.
“These reports will include early voting activity from the proceeding day,” McDonald said in the latest analysis published Nov. 1. “It is also likely reports by Tuesday morning will fail to capture all of the pre-election voting activity since there are sporadic reports of election officials experiencing delays in processing the unprecedented number of mail ballots.”
Read MoreKeith Ellison’s Son Appears to Berate Officers Suffering From PTSD
Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, the son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, berated cops who are presently away from the job as many of those officers suffer from PTSD related to the George Floyd riots.
Ellison placed the blame for the recent uptick in violence squarely on cops recently, as he suggested that law enforcement has abandoned the city amidst his own council’s attempts to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). He then suggested that officers are lying about having PTSD because they hate the citizens of Minneapolis. Although he hedged this claim almost immediately, his words drew a sharp response from the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA).
Read MoreAG Keith Ellison Faces Lawsuit Accusing Him of Coordinating with Bloomberg on Anti-Exxon Crusade
A Virginia-based law firm is suing Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison for access to records revealing his use of attorneys financed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to engage in a climate crusade targeting oil companies.
The nonprofit Government Accountability & Oversight (GAO) filed a lawsuit Wednesday for records detailing how the Democratic attorney general is allegedly deploying Bloomberg-financed lawyers to advance a lawsuit his office leveled against the fossil fuel industry. The firm’s complaint was filed on behalf of the nonprofit group Energy Policy Advocates.
Read MoreRepublicans Invoke Independence Day In Opposition to Walz’s Coronavirus Response
Gov. Tim Walz recently filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought against him regarding his use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic.
The lawsuit was filed on May 28 by four members of the New House Republican Caucus, the Free Minnesota Coalition, and at least eight businesses across the state. The complaint argues that the governor does not have the authority to “suspend the constitutional rights of Minnesotans.”
Read MoreJudge Threatens to Move Trial Out of Minneapolis If Public Officials Don’t Stop Speaking Out About Floyd Case
A Minnesota judge on Monday warned that he’s likely to move the trials of four former police officers charged in George Floyd’s death out of Minneapolis if public officials, attorneys and family members don’t stop speaking out about the case.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill stopped short of issuing a gag order against attorneys on both sides, but he said he likely will if public statements continue that make it hard to find an impartial jury. Cahill said that would also make him likely to grant a change-of-venue motion if one is filed, as he anticipates.
Read MoreJudge Threatens to Move Trial Out of Minneapolis If Public Officials Don’t Stop Speaking Out About Floyd Case
A Minnesota judge on Monday warned that he’s likely to move the trials of four former police officers charged in George Floyd’s death out of Minneapolis if public officials, attorneys and family members don’t stop speaking out about the case.
Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill stopped short of issuing a gag order against attorneys on both sides, but he said he likely will if public statements continue that make it hard to find an impartial jury. Cahill said that would also make him likely to grant a change-of-venue motion if one is filed, as he anticipates.
Read MoreJudge Rejects Cameras in the Courtroom for Former Police Officers’ Pretrial Hearings in Floyd Death
A Minnesota judge on Friday rejected allowing cameras in the court for pretrial proceedings of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd.
Read MoreCharge Upgraded to Second-Degree Murder in Floyd Case, Three Other Officers Charged
Prosecutors charged a Minneapolis police officer accused of pressing his knee against George Floyd’s neck with a new more serious charge of second-degree murder on Wednesday, and for the first time leveled charges against three other officers at the scene, according to criminal complaints.
The updated criminal complaint against Derek Chauvin says the officer’s actions were a “substantial causal factor” in Floyd’s death.
Read MoreKeith Ellison’s Son, a Minneapolis Council Member, Pledges Support for Antifa
Minneapolis Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, the son of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, “officially” declared his support for Antifa Sunday.
Ellison’s declaration of support for the extremist group came in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would be declaring Antifa a domestic terrorist organization.
Read MoreEllison Says Black People in Minneapolis Have Reason to Fear and Distrust Local Police, Claims MPD Has ‘Endemic Problem’
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said during an interview Sunday morning that he believes African-Americans in Minneapolis have reason to distrust and fear their local police.
“Sadly, yes. There is a history that has been repeated time and time again. I want to say that many officers are great people. I know so many of them and I think the chief is an extraordinary person, and the mayor and the council deserve a lot of credit for appointing Mr. Arradondo, but it is an endemic problem in the Minneapolis Police Department,” Ellison said on Fox News Sunday.
Read MoreRepublicans Criticize ‘Alarming’ Interpretation of Executive Authority in Letter to Walz and Ellison
The Senate Republican Caucus expressed concern over the governor’s “alarming” interpretation of executive authority in a letter sent this week to Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
“Your interpretation of the scope of the Governor’s authority under Minnesota Statutes, section 12.45, is incorrect and inconsistent with legislative intent and with a more measured reading of the law. Most importantly, it is an infringement on the Legislature’s fundamental and exclusive authority to define and prescribe the punishment for a crime,” states the letter.
Read MoreAfter Backing Alleged Domestic Abuser Keith Ellison, Minnesota Dems Say State Rep Is ‘Trivializing’ Domestic Abuse
The Minnesota DFL Party, which supported accused domestic abuser Keith Ellison in his run for attorney general, criticized a Republican lawmaker Thursday for “trivializing the severity of domestic abuse.”
Read MoreKeith Ellison Sues Minnesota Restaurant Owner Who Planned to Open Early, Threatens $150,000 in Fines
Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Sunday night that his office has sued a Minnesota restaurant owner who planned to reopen for business Monday.
Kris Schiffler, owner of Shady’s Bar and Grill, planned on reopening his six locations for dine-in business Monday, two weeks earlier than the June 1 reopening date set by the state. He told one local outlet that he received a call from Ellison’s office Friday threatening $25,000 in fines per location, which would amount to $150,000 in total.
Read MoreKeith Ellison Stands by Omar After Strong DFL Challenger Emerges
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has endorsed Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) for a second term in Congress.
“I see U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar as a leader who is disrupting conventional wisdom and challenging 50 years of thinking that has brought us stunning inequality, weakened public institutions and an utter lack of preparedness for a global pandemic,” Ellison said in an endorsement of Omar in The Star Tribune.
Read MoreMinnesota Churches, Business Owners File Second Lawsuit Against Walz’s ‘Draconian’ Shutdown Orders
A second lawsuit was filed Wednesday against Gov. Tim Walz on behalf of multiple Minnesota churches and small business owners.
The complaint asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota to strike down Walz’s emergency executive orders issued during the coronavirus pandemic as unconstitutional under the First, Fifth, and 14th Amendments.
Read MoreMinnesota’s State and National Dems Want to Cancel Rent and Mortgage Payments
An executive order from Gov. Tim Walz bans evictions, foreclosures, and lease terminations for the duration of the state’s peacetime emergency, but one Democratic lawmaker wants to take things a step further. State Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis) recently called for a “rent and mortgage moratorium” in Minnesota, an idea…
Read MoreKeith Ellison Asked Trump Admin to End Ban on Using Aborted Fetal Tissue for Research
Attorney General Keith Ellison said a federal ban on using aborted fetal tissue for research is “hampering” the nation’s ability to respond to COVID-19 in a letter sent to the Trump administration.
Read MoreAfter Mocking ‘Liberate Minnesota’ Protest, State Media, Politicians Silent on Minneapolis Gun Violence Demonstration
Minnesota’s political establishment and mainstream media mocked and condemned the Trump-backed protesters who gathered outside the Governor’s Residence Friday, but were silent just two days later when hundreds gathered for a demonstration in Minneapolis.
According to the St. Paul Police Department, an estimated 800 people were in attendance at Friday’s “Liberate Minnesota” protest, which called for an end to Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read MoreTrump Tweets Support for Hundreds of Minnesotans Who Gathered Friday to Protest Gov. Walz
President Donald Trump expressed his support Friday for the hundreds of Minnesotans who gathered outside the Governor’s Residence in St. Paul to protest Gov. Tim Walz.
Read MoreEllison and U.S. Attorney Form Minnesota ‘COVID-19 Action Team’ to Enforce Walz Orders
Minnesota’s chief legal officers have formed a joint “COVID-19 action team” to enforce Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency executive orders.
Read MoreEllison’s Office Sues Landlords Who Pressured Tenants to Vacate During Pandemic
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has sued multiple landlords who have attempted to evict tenants during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency.
Read MoreWalz Launches ‘Bias and Discrimination’ Helpline for Reporting Incidents to the State
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday that his office has created a “discrimination helpline” amid “rising reports of discrimination from the Asian American community.”
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan claimed that America has a “distinct pattern” of “increased discrimination during uncertain and trying times, of needing someone to blame.”
“This is unacceptable and, as Minnesotans, we must work to break this cycle,” she added.
Read MoreSenate Leaders Signal Disagreement with Walz’s ‘Unilateral and Unchecked’ Coronavirus Actions
Gov. Tim Walz has issued 12 executive orders in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but Senate Republicans think some of his actions aren’t within his constitutional authority.
Read MoreACLU Asks Minnesota Government to ‘Limit Arrests to Most Serious Offenses’ During COVID-19 Pandemic
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota has asked the state government to “aggressively” limit arrests to “the most serious offenses” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read MoreIlhan Omar Defends Dispersing Campaign Funds to Husband’s Consulting Firm
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) took to Twitter this week to “clear the air” regarding her marriage to Tim Mynett, a political consultant whose firm has received close to $600,000 from his wife’s campaign committee.
Read MoreBill Seeks to Close Minnesota’s ‘Gender Wage Gap’ by Banning Employers from Asking About Pay History
A DFL bill seeks to close Minnesota’s “gender wage gap” by prohibiting employers from asking about an applicant’s past pay.
Read MoreDFL Proposes Constitutional Amendment on Voting in Response to GOP Push for Voter ID
Minnesota Democrats have proposed an amendment to the state constitution guaranteeing the right to “free, fair, and equal” elections in response to Republican efforts to pass a voter ID law.
Read MoreBiden Dominates Super Tuesday States, Upsets Sanders in Minnesota
Former Vice President Joe Biden defeated Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Tuesday night in Minnesota’s Democratic primary, a shocking upset in what was a tough night for the Vermont socialist.
Read MoreEllison Working Group Recommends Implicit Bias Training for All Police
A working group on police-involved shootings convened by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has recommended implicit bias training for all of the state’s law enforcement officers.
Read MoreKeith Ellison Asks for Examples of Bernie Bros ‘Being Bad,’ Steve Scalise Responds
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, said on Twitter this week that he has “never seen” a supporter of the Vermont socialist “being unusually mean or rude.”
Read MoreWhat Is the Minnesota DFL Party?
Since many of our stories receive national attention, readers are often confused by the odd acronym frequently appearing in our headlines. What the heck is the DFL? And who is a DFLer?
Read MoreDFL State Senator Calls GOP Push for Voter ID ‘Racist’ and ‘Oppressive’
Minnesota Senate Republicans plan to introduce legislation to require a photo ID for voting, but a DFL state senator thinks the idea is “racist.”
Read MoreKeith Ellison Goes on Rant Against Voter ID Laws: ‘Clearly a Bad Thing’
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said laws requiring voters to present a photo ID are “clearly a bad thing” in a Sunday Twitter rant. “If you believe that elections should be decided by We the People, then photo ID is clearly a bad thing. In Minnesota, we beat the…
Read MoreMichigan and Minnesota Sue Trump Admin Over Effort to Allow Release of 3D-Printed Guns
Michigan and Minnesota have joined a lawsuit challenging a federal regulation that would allow blueprints for 3D-printed guns to be posted online.
Read MoreEllison Joins Lawsuit Against ICE Over Practice of Arresting Illegals in Courthouses
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced his support last week for a lawsuit that would halt the federal immigration arrests of illegal immigrants in and around state courthouses across the country.
Read MoreEllison Sues Trump Administration Over Food-Stamp Work Requirements
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined 15 attorneys general and New York City in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration over changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps.
Read MorePowerful Progressive Group in Minnesota Endorses Bernie Over Klobuchar
A progressive powerhouse in Minnesota politics has endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president over hometown candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Read MoreIlhan Omar Goes After Rural Minnesota County for Rejecting Refugees
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) accused Beltrami County of “denying refugees a chance at a better life” after it voted to opt out of refugee resettlement.
Read MoreKeith Ellison Asks Supreme Court to Review ‘Illogical And Chaotic’ ACA Decision
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 19 states in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a recent decision that found the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to be unconstitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held in a…
Read MoreEllison Claims Suspension of Hennepin County Public Defender ‘Connected to Her Advocacy for Racial Justice’
Attorney General Keith Ellison said he suspects that the recent suspension of Mary Moriarty, the chief public defender in Hennepin County, was “connected to her advocacy for racial justice.”
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