Minnesota judge holds lawyer for DOJ in contempt as tensions flare over immigration cases

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: CBS News

Updated on: February 19, 2026 / 1:33 AM EST / CBS News


A Minnesota federal judge ordered a government attorney to be held in civil contempt of court for violating an order requiring the Justice Department to turn over identification documents to a man who was ordered released from ICE custody, further escalating tension between the judiciary and Trump administration over immigration cases.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino ordered the attorney, Matthew Isihara, to pay $500 each day until the petitioner's identification documents are returned to him. Isihara is a military attorney currently detailed to assist the Justice Department as a special U.S. attorney, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The plaintiff, Rigoberto Soto Jimenez, was arrested in mid-January, part of a monthslong immigration crackdown in Minnesota. On Feb. 9, after the man sued for his release, Provinzino ordered Soto Jimene to be released from ICE custody, finding that he was unlawfully detained because immigration officials did not have an administrative warrant to justify his detention.

She ordered his release "without imposing any conditions of release" and ordered "all property" to be returned to him. She also said he must be released in Minnesota, where court documents show he has lived since 2018 with his lawful permanent resident spouse.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minnesota-judge-holds-lawyer-for-doj-in-contempt-as-tensions-flare-over-immigration-cases/

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Link to contempt ORDER - https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72221590/soto-jimenez-v-bondi/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc#entry-12

[2naSalit]

1. K&R

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. This ruling made me smile

Link to tweet

A Minnesota judge found one of the dumbass lawyers at the DOJ in civil contempt, fining them $500/day until they follow the fucking law.

According to the ruling, by Judge Laura M. Provinzino of Federal District Court in Minnesota, the government failed to return “identification documents” belonging to Rigoberto Soto Jimenez, a detained immigrant whom she had ordered to be released with all of his property returned.

The judge ordered a $500 daily fine imposed on Matthew Isihara, an administration lawyer, for each day the documents are not returned, beginning on Friday.

The government’s lack of respect for court rulings stemming from such petitions has been raised by judges in the District of Minnesota, where the chief judge compiled a list of nearly 100 violations of court orders in habeas cases since Jan. 1, and in New Jersey, where the Justice Department admitted 52 violations since Dec. 5.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. This is the very first instance that I have actually run into

(and I go through dozens of news sites) where a report of a sanction actually happened for a 45 administration staffer violating a court order.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. This ruling really made me smile

More trump lawyers need to be held in contempt

[republianmushroom]

5. About time.

[republianmushroom]

6. About time

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. Deadline Legal Blog-Minnesota judge's contempt order shows a way to force government into compliance

Judges are taking bold measures to get the Trump administration to comply with the law.

Minnesota judge’s contempt order shows a way to force government into compliance - MS NOW apple.news/ACm-vPNtpQYq...

— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2026-02-19T21:04:36.632Z

https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/minnesota-judge-contempt-order-trump-administration-compliance

The government’s failure to comply with court orders has been a theme of Donald Trump’s second term as president. The question has been what judges can do about it.

The answer may be to hold government officials and lawyers in contempt — or at least threaten to do so.

Underscoring the dire state of the rule of law in this country, Minnesota’s chief federal district judge last month set a hearing for the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to explain why he shouldn’t be held in contempt, after the government failed to comply with an order to provide an immigrant a bond hearing or release them from custody.

The judge, Patrick Schiltz, acknowledged that he was taking an “extraordinary step” in the case of Juan Hugo Tobay Robles. But he explained why he felt the need to do so: The “extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary, and lesser measures have been tried and failed.”

Yet, the acting ICE chief, Todd Lyons, was never held in contempt. The government complied with the judge’s order before the hearing, thus rendering his appearance moot.....

The latest bold judicial response in Minnesota came this week, when a judge ordered a Trump government lawyer to be held in civil contempt. Such contempt is used to force compliance, whereas criminal contempt punishes violations.

The civil contempt order came in yet another immigration-related case, with U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino saying Wednesday that, starting Friday, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Isihara would have to pay $500 for each day that Rigoberto Soto Jimenez is not in possession of his identification documents. “For avoidance of doubt, the coercive fine will continue until the certification of compliance is filed on the docket,” the Biden-appointed judge’s order said.....

Later Wednesday, Paul Blume of Fox 9 in Minneapolis reported that Soto Jimenez’s lawyer said the government had given her client an overnight delivery tracking number and that the lawyer believed his identification papers would arrive on Thursday, nullifying any fines.

If that’s how this one ends, then it will have been another instance of the government doing what it had to do all along but only in the face of contempt consequences. That shouldn’t be necessary to run a legal system, but the contempt tool is there for a reason — and this administration is giving judges every reason to use it.