Legal AF by MeidasTouch - Fed Up Judge Threatens Trump Regime with Criminal Contempt

Episode Date: February 28, 2026

Chief Judge Schiltz of Minnesota is leading a growing chorus of federal judges who have started or will start contempt proceedings and criminal contempt proceedings against the Trump Administration, declaring that “ICE WILL COMPLY” with federal judges' orders. Popok reports. Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at https://shopify.com/legalaf Subscribe:  @LegalAFMTN  Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show The Ken Harbaugh Show: https://meidasnews.com/tag/the-ken-harbaugh-show Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ICE will comply. That's just not a random observation. That is in an order that just came out in the last 24 hours by the chief judge of the Minnesota federal courts, Judge Schultz, who didn't take kindly to the fact that the Department of Justice led by Donald Trump's leadership, so to speak, that Dan Rosen, the newly appointed U.S. attorney in Minnesota, has decided, rather than to comply with court orders, which now number into the couple of hundredth that have been violated in Minnesota alone by ICE, by Department of Homeland Security. Oh, no, they'd rather attack the judge in an email. This is shocking, by the way, in an email to the judge on the public docket claiming that he distorted the record about the violations, which required the judge to go back

and check his facts and figures with all the rest of the judges in the district. And you know what he found out? He was wrong. They didn't violate 96 orders in the month of January. in Minnesota, they violated 97, and since January, they have violated another 113. ICE will comply, the judge says ominously at the end of his order, or they will face criminal contempt. Judge Schultz, I believe, is one of the leaders of this new movement of federal judges to use the power of

contempt in year two of the lawless Trump administration to bring them to heal. My new personal jam is going to be reporting regularly, maybe hourly, on contempt proceedings, civil and criminal, and I'll talk about the difference today. In federal courts, it's what I said needed to happen. I never thought I'd have to coach federal judges. I've been appearing in front of them for more than 35 years on how to do their job and what awesome powers they have. But I think they're following the leadership of Judge Schultz here, just like they followed the leadership of Judge Zinnis in Maryland. about how to handle things like when people get removed and sent to other countries against court orders. I think Judge Schultz is leading the way here. I want you to know more about his order.

I've posted it on LegalAF Substack, and I'm glad you're here on my distatch. And of course, LegalAF YouTube channel, take a minute, hit the subscribe button there as well. Let's start from the headline. The headline is that Judge Schultz is leading a growing chorus of federal judges, Minnesota, West Virginia, Texas, New Jersey, Massachusetts, you name it, including Trump appointees that are pointing out the open defiance as a regular routine, not an accident by the Trump administration, Department of Justice, and otherwise, against court orders. And we've already had a series of contempt proceedings that have been started or have been found against the Trump

administration. We just had contempt order issued by Judge Tostrad in Minnesota, by a judge in Massachusetts, Judge Stearns. We have the proceedings starting by Judge Bryan for a hearing next week in five separate or six separate cases in Minnesota. And listen to the words of Judge Schultz, who I believe, again, is one of the leaders here, the quarterback of the strategy. He says on page five of his order, if anything is beyond the pale, it is ICE's continued violation of the orders of this court. Increasingly, this court has had to resort to using the threat of civil contempt to force ICE to comply with orders. The court is not aware of another occasion in the history of the United States in which a federal court has had to threaten contempt again and again and again to force the United States government, not a random party, to comply with court orders. This court will continue to do whatever is required to protect the rule of law,

including, if necessary, moving to the use of criminal contempt. One way or the other, ICE will comply with this court's orders. I'll talk in a minute about the difference between criminal and civil contempt. I just reported yesterday in back-to-back orders coming out of New Jersey and out of Massachusetts, Judge Karachi in New Jersey, Judge Murphy in Massachusetts, Judge Karachi dealing with writs of habeas corpus, the great writ, that's what our framers and founders gave us. So if we ever get thrown into the dark, dank cells of a federal detention center or prison,

we would see the light of day, at least in a courtroom, of a federal judge. And he said there's been violations of the great writ in New Jersey, in this district, in this court, and it ends now. Look at the language that federal judges have had. use. Besides, I've never in my history, I've been a student of the law at least for 40 years, including my law studies. And I've read thousands and thousands and thousands of cases. I have never known of an era in history in which judges frequently resort to citing the founders, the framers, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Madison, the Federalist Papers, George Orwell,

lyrics from Bob Dylan and such strong language as this. Judge Murphy, in his order in the last 48 hours, he said when he found that removal, Trump's habit, nasty habit, of removing people to third countries that they're not, they have no connection to. Like, oh, you're from Venezuela? Well, we'll send you to Liberia and Africa.

How's that as a punishment? He found that unconstitutional for obvious good reasons. He also said in his order that the Trump administration's position is, as long as the person when they get off the plane isn't immediately shot, it's fine. And the judge said, it's not fine. And it's illegal and unconstitutional. Now you have Judge Schultz. Now, what Judge Schultz is reacting to is that on January the 28th,

we covered it here on Midas Dutch in Legal A.F., he issued an extraordinary order in a particular case where he did a survey with his other justices, other judges in the District of Minnesota, and came up with 96 orders that had been violated in 76 cases. Now, this is not unique. Last week, the person trying out to be the U.S. attorney in the District of New Jersey to replace Alina Abba, she wrote a letter to the chief judge there and said, or one of the judges there, and said, we violated 56 in a month. I'm like, well, at least it's not 96. I mean, you're heading in the right direction.

I mean, anything over zero is inappropriate. Starting something new, it's not just hard. It's honestly terrifying. I remember launching this podcast and the YouTube channel and thinking, what if nobody listens or watches? What if this doesn't work? But taking that leap turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made, and having a platform like Shopify would have made those,

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It's time to turn those what-ifs into with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash legal a.F. Go to Shopify.com slash legal a.f. That's Shopify.com slash legal a.F. But here, the judge says, are you going to, so he issues that, that observation, that survey. Well, Daniel Rosen, the new appointed U.S. attorney in Minnesota, didn't like that. So he did an extraordinary thing.

He wrote an email to the judge put up on the public docket where he accused the judge of wrongdoing. He said, Judge, we did a survey, an audit of 12 of your 96 cases, and we think you got some of it wrong, and you owe an apology to my lawyers, and it's beyond the pale and everything else. else. And the judge said, all right, all right, because Mr. Rosen, this on page three, made serious allegations against the undersigned and the other judges, the undersigned, Judge Schultz, asked each judge to go back and look at the cases that they had submitted for this list. And lo and behold, Rosen was right. He didn't, he, total apology. His department did not violate 96, his office did not violate 96 court orders in the month of January. They violated 90, they violated

97. Did you hear me? 97. Okay. And then as long as they were there, the judge says, let's update that number. So on page five, he says that after Rosen says in his email for our part, we commit to the court that we will redouble our efforts to achieve compliance, will continue to find ways to improve. The judge says on page five, this too appears to be untrue. In other words, he's lied to the federal court. He said, here's a new appendix, a list of cases other than the 90s. we originally found. He says, despite Rosen's assurances of redoubled efforts that led to considerable improvement, Appendix B, documents 113 more orders that they violated in 77 cases in addition to the 97. And so that's where the judge says, never in the history of the United States has a United States government

been found and threatened with contempt and noncompliance so many times. In his prior order in January 28th, Judge Schilt said, never in history has one agency ever violated in its entire history, as many as ICE has violated in Minnesota in one month. Just remarkable. But what I, the takeaway that I like is what we're starting to see in year two, which is what we've been encouraging on legal A.F., which is that federal judges remind themselves of the awesome power that they hold, inherent authority, statutory authority, to use content. civil, finding willful violation of court orders, then you can use fines, you can dismiss

indictments, you can dismiss complaints, you can dismiss defenses, you can do all sorts of things. Then if they continue to do it, you can move and ratchet to criminal contempt. And that's what it sounds like. Continued, willful violation of court order and somebody's going to jail. somebody in the administration, probably ICE, probably Homeland Security, after the judge doesn't have an entry hearing, is going to the pokey until they stop violating. Now, they don't like it. They can go run to appellate courts and get them to try to stop it. We'll see. We'll see what happens in the appellate courts. Sometimes the appellate courts side with the federal judges. Sometimes they don't,

but judges have the inherent authority to control their own dockets, their own courtrooms, and are given wide birth to do that. Look what federal judges are doing around the country just in the last week or so. A Texas judge, Judge Cardone, said that there was a worrying trend of missed deadlines. A West Virginia judge observed that there was by the Trump administration and ICE and Homeland Security,

a general lack of respect for the law and sloppiness. You got Judge Tostrad in Minnesota, finding the administration in contempt. Judge Bryan in Minnesota, about to find them in contempt with a major hearing next week. Judge Karashi about to find them in contempt in New Jersey saying it ends now. Judge Murphy finding that the removals are unconstitutional.

Judge Stearns finding the Trump administration in contempt. This is what federal judges will need to do. Year one, okay, I get it. You know, it was shock and awe by the Trump administration, executive orders, you know, operations, sieges, National Guard, you know, shooting and killing Americans on the streets. but now we've got to recover. And now we've got to get off the mat, find our teeth that were knocked out

and put it back together and use the awesome powers that federal judges have. I've been doing this for more than 35 years. I'm an officer of the court. I'm sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution and be candid to the tribunal and to be ethical. I would never think to willfully intentionally

violated order or violated order at all because I know what would happen besides my professional reputation, my law license, I know what. would happen with the power of the federal judge. There is no more powerful judge on earth than a federal judge. And we will continue to follow it here on Midas Touch and LegalAF.

Until my next report, I'm Michael Pupac. Can't get your fill of Legal AF. Me neither. That's why we form the Legal AF substack. Every time we mention something in a hot take, whether it's a court filing or an oral argument, come over to the substack. You'll find the court filing and the oral argument there,

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