How might the resignations of top prosecutors in Washington D.C. and Minneapolis affect the independence of federal investigations and broader public trust in the U.S. justice system?
The mass resignations of federal prosecutors in Minnesota and Washington D.C. in January 2026 represent one of the most significant departures of career Justice Department officials since the post-Watergate era, with potentially far-reaching consequences for investigative independence and institutional credibility.
At least six federal prosecutors resigned from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota on January 13, 2026, including First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson, who had been leading the state's sprawling fraud prosecutions over the last several yearsUS Attorney Thompson resignation a ‘loss’ for Minnesota, Walz says - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sportsinforum . Other departures included senior prosecutors Harry Jacobs, who recently led the prosecution of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman's accused assassin, and Melinda Williams, chief of the criminal division who worked on the sex trafficking conviction of former Minnesota GOP operative Tony LazzaroUS Attorney Thompson resignation a ‘loss’ for Minnesota, Walz says - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sportsinforum . Thomas Calhoun-Lopez was also among those who stepped down6 MN federal prosecutors resign amid investigation into Renee Good's widow: report | FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paulfox9 .
Simultaneously, at least six leaders of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in Washington gave notice of their departures, including Jim Felte, the chief of the criminal section, and several of his deputies including the principal deputy chief, deputy chief, and acting deputy chiefTop DOJ Lawyers Exit in Latest Civil Rights Unit Upheaval (1)bloomberglaw +1. These resignations represent the most significant mass departure at the Justice Department since February 2025, when five leaders of the Public Integrity Section resigned rather than comply with orders to dismiss the bribery case against then-New York mayor Eric AdamsTop DOJ officials quit after their division refused to probe Minnesota ICE shootingms .
The resignations were directly linked to the Justice Department's handling of the investigation into the January 7, 2026 fatal shooting of Renee Good by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Jonathan Ross in MinneapolisFederal prosecutors quit in protest over lack of investigation into ICE shooting | Minnesota ICE shooting | The Guardiantheguardian . Multiple sources indicate the prosecutors objected to three aspects of the department's approach:
First, the DOJ pushed prosecutors to investigate the widow of Renee Good for potential connections to activist groups rather than focusing on the circumstances of the shooting itselfFederal prosecutors resign over concerns about probe into Minneapolis ICE shooting, source saysnbcnews +1. Second, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon decided not to open a civil rights investigation into whether the ICE officer's use of deadly force was justifiedTop DOJ officials quit after their division refused to probe Minnesota ICE shootingms +1. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated there was "currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation"DOJ says 'no basis' for civil rights investigation into Minneapolis ICE officer killingfoxnews . Third, prosecutors objected to the exclusion of Minnesota state authorities from the investigation after the FBI reversed an initial agreement to conduct a joint investigation with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal ApprehensionUS Attorney Thompson resignation a ‘loss’ for Minnesota, Walz says - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sportsinforum .
The decision not to investigate the shooting marks a sharp departure from past administrations, which have typically moved quickly to open Justice Department civil rights reviews of fatal encounters involving law enforcement, even when criminal charges were considered unlikelyDOJ says 'no basis' for civil rights investigation into Minneapolis ICE officer killingfoxnews . Legal analysts noted it is "so rare for this unit not to investigate fatal shootings involving federal officers, and that is what's taken away the breath of a lot of people in the Department of Justice"DOJ prosecutors resign in protest over handling of ICE shooting investigation | PBS Newspbs .
The departures have immediate implications for major ongoing prosecutions. Thompson was the lead prosecutor in the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation, which has charged 78 people with stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayer-funded child nutrition programs, with 58 convicted to dateMinnesota federal prosecutors resign after DOJ push to investigate Renee Good's widow : NPRnpr . The case had expanded into a broader investigation of Medicaid fraud, with Thompson estimating that scammers had defrauded taxpayers of approximately $9 billion across 14 state programsUS Attorney Thompson resignation a ‘loss’ for Minnesota, Walz says - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sportsinforum +1.
Former federal prosecutor Kevin Lindsay, who served twice as U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, characterized the impact as "significant" and warned the departure of Thompson and other lead prosecutors will likely slow investigations downMinnesota federal prosecutors resign over DOJ's investigation into Renee Good's deathyoutube . "When you have new attorneys that have to learn the case and start doing it from scratch, that puts you behind. Many of them are going to have to start over again"Minnesota federal prosecutors resign over DOJ's investigation into Renee Good's deathyoutube . Former federal prosecutor Doug Kelly stated, "There's never been this many people in this many leadership positions to all resign at one time"Minnesota federal prosecutors resign over DOJ's investigation into Renee Good's deathyoutube .
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara called Thompson "an institution within law enforcement" who is "directly responsible for building and prosecuting the fraud cases now being cited to justify this moment," adding: "When you lose the leader responsible for making those cases, it signals that this isn't about prosecuting fraud"US Attorney Thompson resignation a ‘loss’ for Minnesota, Walz says - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sportsinforum .
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also noted that Thompson's departure represents "a setback for public safety" while promising to continue working with the U.S. Attorney's Office on cases involving violent crime and fraudReactions on the resignations of federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Officeyoutube .
Legal scholars and commentators have drawn parallels to the 1973 Saturday Night Massacre, when Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus resigned rather than carry out President Nixon's order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox2025 U.S. Department of Justice resignations - Wikipediawikipedia . The current wave follows a pattern of departures that began in January 2025, when the Trump administration ordered the removal of top counterterrorism officials and subsequently removed prosecutors who handled January 6 investigationsDOJ prosecutors resign in protest over handling of ICE shooting investigation | PBS Newspbs .
PBS correspondent Ryan Reilly characterized the Civil Rights Division departures as an "entire leadership team walk out the door" representing "a brain drain from which the Justice Department will not be able to recover for a generation," noting that "you can't replace people with that expertise quickly"DOJ prosecutors resign in protest over handling of ICE shooting investigation | PBS Newspbs . Sources within the department indicated that the resignations were intended to "send up an alarm bell and ring that bell very loudly to the American people"DOJ prosecutors resign in protest over handling of ICE shooting investigation | PBS Newspbs .
Kristen Clarke, who led the Civil Rights Division during the Biden administration, stated: "The hollowing out of the Civil Rights Division's national expertise hurts every American. Unparalleled expertise and commitment to impartiality is precisely what's needed in this moment"Federal prosecutors resign over concerns about probe into Minneapolis ICE shooting, source saysnbcnews .
Minnesota authorities have asserted jurisdiction over the shooting investigation despite federal efforts to exclude them. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty stated: "We do have jurisdiction to make this decision... It does not matter that it was a federal law enforcement agent. To be sure, there are complex legal issues involved when a federal law enforcement officer is involved. But the law is clear"FULL URGENT BRIEFING: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Updates on ICE Shooting | AC15youtube +1.
The BCA was initially invited to conduct a joint investigation with the FBI, but the U.S. Attorney's Office reversed course within hours, informing the BCA it would no longer have access to "case materials, scene evidence or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation"BCA statement regarding investigation of ICE fatal shooting in Minneapolis | Minnesota Department of Public Safetymn . The FBI seized Good's vehicle and other physical evidence before state investigators could conduct their own forensic analysisRenee Good Case: Minnesota AG Addresses Public On ICE Shooting Case And Investigation Status | AB1Fyoutube .
In response, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office and Minnesota Attorney General's Office announced a joint effort to collect and preserve evidence, establishing a public portal for witnesses to submit video and other evidenceSubmission Portal: HCAO and MNAGO announce joint effort to collect and preserve evidence to support investigation into killing of Renee Nicole Good | Hennepin Countyhennepinattorney . However, state authorities acknowledged they lack access to critical evidence including Good's car, the agent's firearm, and shell casings from the scene'Uphill battle' building state investigation into ICE shootingsahanjournal .
Notably, this approach contradicts stated FBI policy. According to the FBI's own public guidance: "State and local law enforcement agencies are not subordinate to the FBI, and the FBI does not supervise or take over their investigations. Instead, the investigative resources of the FBI and state and local agencies are often pooled in a common effort"If a crime is committed that is a violation of local, state, and federal laws, does the FBI “take over” the investigation? — FBIfbi .
Polling data reveals deep partisan divisions in views of the shooting and its investigation. A Quinnipiac University poll found that 82% of voters had seen video of the shooting, with 53% believing it was not justified compared to 35% who believed it was justifiedMajority Of Voters Think Fatal Shooting Of Minneapolis ...qu . Partisan gaps were stark: 77% of Republicans believed the shooting was justified while 92% of Democrats believed it was notMajority Of Voters Think Fatal Shooting Of Minneapolis ...qu .
A YouGov/Economist poll found that by a 20-point margin, more Americans viewed the shooting as not justified than as justified (50% vs. 30%)More Americans view the ICE shooting in Minnesota as unjustified than say it is justified | YouGovyougov . The poll also found that 56% of Americans believe both federal and Minnesota state government should be responsible for investigating the shooting, while only 21% said only the federal government should be responsibleMore Americans view the ICE shooting in Minnesota as unjustified than say it is justified | YouGovyougov .
Views of the broader justice system show similar partisan fractures. According to Pew Research Center data from August 2025, 51% of Republicans view the DOJ favorably, up 18 percentage points from the previous year, while only 28% of Democrats view it favorably, down 27 pointsHow Americans Rate ICE, FBI, Justice Department and Other Federal Agencies | Pew Research Centerpewresearch . The partisan gap in views of ICE is even wider: 72% of Republicans view ICE favorably compared to just 13% of DemocratsHow Americans Rate ICE, FBI, Justice Department and Other Federal Agencies | Pew Research Centerpewresearch .
Gallup polling shows trust in the judicial branch at historic lows, with only 49% expressing "a great deal" or "a fair amount" of trust—among the lowest readings in the organization's trendNew High Say Supreme Court Is Too Conservative - Gallup Newsgallup . Americans' confidence in their nation's judicial system dropped to a record-low 35% in 2024, setting the U.S. apart from other wealthy nations where a majority still expresses trustAmericans Pass Judgment on Their Courts - Gallup Newsgallup . The 24-point decline in U.S. judicial confidence since 2020 has created the largest gap between the U.S. and the median of OECD nations in Gallup's trendAmericans Pass Judgment on Their Courts - Gallup Newsgallup .
Legal scholars warn that these events represent a structural threat to prosecutorial independence. Carissa Byrne Hessick, a University of North Carolina Law School professor who studies the intersection of prosecutions and politics, observed that "the investigations and prosecutions of multiple senior officials during the Biden and second Trump administrations has caused Americans to suspect the investigations are driven by politics," adding: "That's bad for the country, and that's bad for the legitimacy of the criminal justice system"Experts fear impact of deepening polarization and perceived political prosecutionsnbcnews .
Hessick noted that reforms enacted after Watergate to bolster public confidence in the impartiality of prosecutions are proving dated and ineffective: "Our old tools for trying to create the appearance of neutral and detached nonpartisan decision-making by prosecutors don't seem to be working. The way people talk about prosecutions is so polarized that it's probably not surprising that people think the whiff of politics is involved in every prosecution"Experts fear impact of deepening polarization and perceived political prosecutionsnbcnews .
The Brennan Center notes that the Office of Professional Responsibility, established in 1975 in response to Watergate-era abuses, is responsible for investigating allegations of prosecutors abusing DOJ authority or prosecutorial discretionThe Department of Justice’s Broken Accountability System | Brennan Center for Justicebrennancenter . However, in the first weeks of the current administration, political appointees ousted the head of that officeThe Department of Justice’s Broken Accountability System | Brennan Center for Justicebrennancenter .
Congressional reaction has divided along partisan lines. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Thompson's resignation "a loss for our state and for public safety," warning that "the DOJ's politicization of the investigation into Renee Good's killing is doing lasting damage to our justice system"US Attorney Thompson resignation a ‘loss’ for Minnesota, Walz says - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sportsinforum +1.
Governor Tim Walz characterized the resignations as "the latest sign that President Trump is pushing nonpartisan career professionals out of the Department of Justice and replacing them with his sycophants"US Attorney Thompson resignation a ‘loss’ for Minnesota, Walz says - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sportsinforum . Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stated: "These prosecutors are heroes, and the people pushing to prosecute Renee's widow are monsters. In their pursuit of cruelty, the administration also just set back the work of fighting fraud by pushing out the prosecutors who were working on those cases"US Attorney Thompson resignation a ‘loss’ for Minnesota, Walz says - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sportsinforum .
Republican responses emphasized the underlying fraud investigations. House Speaker Lisa Demuth praised Thompson's work "rooting out more than $9 billion in fraud and convicting criminals throughout his time at the U.S. Attorney's Office," noting that "even under attack by those who enabled that fraud, including the Governor who accused him of defamation last week, his objective and principled approach to the job has been admirable"US Attorney Thompson resignation a ‘loss’ for Minnesota, Walz says - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sportsinforum .
The convergence of these developments—mass prosecutor resignations, rejection of standard civil rights investigation protocols, exclusion of state authorities, and the explicit direction to investigate the victim's family rather than the shooting itself—creates multiple vectors of concern for investigative independence:
The departure of experienced career prosecutors disrupts case continuity and institutional knowledge. As one former prosecutor noted: "Everyone should have a piece of paper in their desk with their resignation because if they are asked to do something that they think is either unjustified, immoral, unethical, not supported by the evidence, they need to be ready to say no"‘The office is shaken’: Ex-DOJ official reacts to wave of resignations at Trump’s Justice Departmentyoutube .
The refusal to conduct standard civil rights investigations establishes a precedent that could shield federal officers from scrutiny in future use-of-force incidents. Career prosecutors offered to investigate but "were told not to do so," representing a departure from standard practice where "after a high-profile incident involving a fatal shooting by an officer, attorneys from the criminal section fly out to the scene" Prosecutors in DOJ's Civil Rights Division will not investigate Minneapolis ICE shooting, sources say - CBS Newscbsnews .
The exclusion of state authorities undermines the traditional model of cooperative federalism in law enforcement. Legal experts note there is "some precedent" for states to prosecute federal officers under certain circumstances, though such cases face significant procedural hurdles including supremacy clause defenses and removal to federal courtICE Shooting Under Scrutiny: “This Sounds Like Murder” | Shan Wu NewsNationyoutube .
Perhaps most significantly, the explicit White House pronouncements declaring the shooting justified before any meaningful investigation could be completed—with President Trump and Vice President Vance both declaring "within 36 hours of Good's death" that the ICE officer was in the right—represent a form of executive prejudgment that fundamentally compromises investigative independence regardless of which agency ultimately conducts the inquiryDOJ prosecutors resign in protest over handling of ICE shooting investigation | PBS Newspbs .
The cumulative effect is a justice system increasingly divided along partisan lines, with career officials departing rather than implement directives they view as politically motivated, and public trust fragmenting into opposing partisan camps that evaluate the same events through entirely different frameworks of legitimacy.