The Trump administration has dramatically escalated its ongoing conflict with the state of Minnesota, with the Department of Justice (DOJ) filing a federal lawsuit on Wednesday, 14 January 2026. The suit alleges that the state's affirmative action programme for government hiring is illegal.
Legal Battle Over Diversity Hiring
The lawsuit, filed in a Minnesota federal court, contends that state policies designed to recruit individuals from under-represented groups violate the Civil Rights Act's prohibitions on discrimination. The DOJ claims Minnesota directs its agencies to make hiring decisions partly based on matching local community demographics.
Furthermore, agencies that fail to meet diversity goals are reportedly ordered to justify any hires made outside of affirmative action guidelines. US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the legal action on social media, stating, "This is discriminatory DEI codified into bad state policy, and the Trump Administration will not stand for it."
Bondi has designated the case as a high-priority matter, making it eligible for a fast-track appeal directly to the US Supreme Court.
A Rapidly Escalating Political Crisis
This legal challenge represents the latest salvo in a bitter and fast-moving standoff between Washington and Minnesota. The state had pre-emptively sued the Trump administration just two days prior, on Monday, seeking to halt a sweeping immigration operation within its borders.
The tension has been building since December, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched raids in a heavily Somali neighbourhood of Minneapolis. President Donald Trump has frequently made derogatory remarks about Minnesota's large Somali immigrant community.
The federal crackdown intensified after a viral video, later questioned by local officials, alleged widespread fraud at Somali-owned daycare centres. This prompted a surge of roughly 2,000 federal immigration agents from ICE, Border Patrol, and Homeland Security into the Twin Cities area.
Fatal Shooting Fuels Nationwide Protests
The conflict turned deadly last week when ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot 37-year-old mother-of-three Renee Good. Good had stopped her vehicle on a street where community members were protesting an immigration operation.
The shooting triggered nationwide protests and a fiercely partisan response. Trump administration officials have labelled Good a "domestic terrorist" who attempted to kill the officer. Conversely, Democrats and Minneapolis officials state there is no evidence for this claim, arguing that video footage suggests Good was trying to leave the scene when she was shot in the head.
State authorities have also accused the federal government of obstructing their joint investigation with the FBI into the shooting. In a related development, a group of senior federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned this week, reportedly over perceived Justice Department pressure to investigate Good's widow. The Trump administration denies the resignations are linked to the case.
Amid this turmoil, Minnesota's Democratic Governor Tim Walz, who was the vice-presidential nominee against Trump in 2024, announced earlier this month that he will not seek a third term.
