--- title: "Minnesota judges coordinated on immigration cases, reports say" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/minnesota-judges-coordinated-on-immigration-cases-reports-say" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/minnesota-judges-coordinated-on-immigration-cases-reports-say" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/minnesota-judges-coordinated-on-immigration-cases-reports-say.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/minnesota-judges-coordinated-on-immigration-cases-reports-say" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-18T22:46:02.034Z" source_reported: "2026-09-18T17:24:28.000Z" updated: "2026-09-18T22:46:02.034Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 65 hype_score: 68 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-18T22:30:45.104198+00:00" --- # Minnesota judges coordinated on immigration cases, reports say *Coordination methods included meetings and shared tools, prompting questions about judicial independence.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claims attributed to named bodies, but relies on anonymous sourcing and hedges key facts. - Craft 65 of 100, higher is better. Reports include quotes from affected parties and state what happens next, but fact and comment are not clearly separated. - Hype 68 of 100, lower is better. Headline promises more than the body delivers, with loaded adjectives and manufactured urgency. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Federal judges in Minnesota coordinated their approach to immigration cases, including habeas petitions related to President Trump's immigration policies. - Methods of coordination involved regular meetings, email threads, and shared spreadsheets and order templates, according to The New York Times. - Trump administration officials have raised questions about whether this cooperation compromised judicial independence. - Judges involved stated that each case was ultimately decided independently on its merits. Federal judges in Minnesota coordinated their handling of immigration cases, including those challenging President Trump's immigration policies, according to reports. The coordination involved regular meetings, running email threads, and shared tools such as spreadsheets and order templates, as revealed by The New York Times. The coordination was used to manage a surge in habeas petitions related to immigration detention. The district saw a significant increase in such petitions, receiving 1,427 through August of the year in question, compared to 12 for all of the previous year. Judges stated that this collaboration helped them resolve cases more quickly. ## Disagreement on the nature of coordination Trump administration officials have questioned whether this cooperation crossed a line and compromised judicial independence. The Department of Homeland Security's General Counsel James Percival accused former Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz of "essentially conspiring with his judicial colleagues" to thwart immigration enforcement. The Department of Justice suggested that judges who gave on-the-record interviews about their experiences handling immigration operations should consider recusal. Judges involved, including Chief Judge Eric Tostrud, maintain that while they communicated, each judge independently decided every individual petition on its merits. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports below mention the specific figure of $1.2bn, which was the estimated cost of the immigration crackdown mentioned in the original New York Times report that revealed the judges' coordination. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 100% (7) 0 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-18T22:30:45.104198+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-18T23:15:39.121Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - Right-rated reports focused on the alleged "collusion" and "activism" of the judges. WND's headline asked, "‘Colluding’? Federal judges admit to coordinating decisions on cases in Minnesota immigration crackdown." The Daily Bo Snerdley reported that judges were "accused of coordinating behind the scenes on Trump immigration cases." The National Pulse stated that "Federal Judges Admit Coordination in Trump Immigration Cases." Wfmd.com and Fox News used the headline, "‘Unprecedented’: Judges reveal behind-the-scenes coordination on Trump immigration cases." These reports highlighted the coordination methods, including meetings, email threads, and shared tools, and presented the Trump administration's concerns about judicial independence. WND quoted Mike Lee stating, "If federal judges are colluding 'to thwart legal proceedings related to immigration,' impeachment is not only warranted, but imperative." The reports also noted comments from George Mason University law professor Robert Luther III, who described the running email chain as "very weird and frankly unprecedented." **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 4 - mixed: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [WND](https://wnd.com/2026/09/colluding-federal-judges-admit-coordinating-decisions-cases-minnesota) — ‘Colluding’? Federal judges admit to coordinating decisions on cases in Minnesota immigration crackdown * WorldNetDaily * by Bob Unruh - [wndnewscenter.org](https://wndnewscenter.org/colluding-federal-judges-admit-to-coordinating-decisions-on-cases-in-minnesota-immigration-crackdown) — ‘Colluding’? Federal judges admit to coordinating decisions on cases in Minnesota immigration crackdown * WND News Center - [thedailybs.com](https://thedailybs.com/2026/09/18/federal-judges-accused-of-coordinating-behind-the-scenes-on-trump-immigration-cases) — Federal judges accused of coordinating behind the scenes on Trump immigration cases - The Daily Bo Snerdley - [The National Pulse](https://thenationalpulse.com/2026/09/18/federal-judges-admit-coordination-in-trump-immigration-cases) — Federal Judges Admit Coordination in Trump Immigration Cases. - [[your]NEWS](https://yournews.com/2026/09/18/7199031/federal-judges-disclose-shared-emails-and-case-tools-during-immigration) — Federal Judges Disclose Shared Emails and Case Tools During Immigration Habeas Surge - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/18/unprecedented-judges-reveal-behind-the-scenes-coordination-on-trump-immigration-cases) — ‘Unprecedented’: Judges reveal behind-the-scenes coordination on Trump immigration cases - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/unprecedented-judges-reveal-behind-the-scenes-coordination-trump-immigration-cases) — ‘Unprecedented’: Judges reveal behind-the-scenes coordination on Trump immigration cases ## Questions **How did federal judges in Minnesota coordinate their work on immigration cases?** Federal judges in Minnesota coordinated through regular meetings, running email threads, and shared tools like spreadsheets and order templates. This was done to handle a surge in immigration-related habeas petitions. **What concerns have been raised about this coordination?** Trump administration officials have questioned whether this cooperation compromised judicial independence. Some have accused the judges of conspiring to thwart immigration enforcement and suggested that judges who spoke publicly should consider recusal. **What do the judges say about their coordination?** The judges involved maintain that despite communicating with each other, each judge independently decided every individual petition on its merits. They stated that their coordination helped them resolve cases more quickly. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/minnesota-judges-coordinated-on-immigration-cases-reports-say. 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