Prof. Richard Painter Interviewed by MPR About Anti-ICE Conspiracy Charges Brought Against Minnesotans

Professor Richard Painter, S. Walter Richey Professor of Corporate Law, was interviewed by MPR News about anti-ICE conspiracy charges against 15 Minnesotans. On June 11, a grand jury in Minneapolis indicted Twin Cities activists on conspiracy and other charges in connection with coordinated anti-ICE protests over the winter. The indictment does not accuse any of the defendants of injuring officers. It’s largely based on Signal chats in which the group plans and discusses protest actions. Critics of the indictments say the Justice Department is trying to suppress dissent and punish people it sees as political enemies by using the court system. Prof. Painter said conspiracy charges have been used in a broad range of cases where two or more people planned to commit a serious crime and then made overt acts to carry out that crime. He said the vast majority of anti-ICE protesters in the state were peaceful, and there doesn’t appear to be evidence of a conspiracy to violently oppose the federal government. While some protesters may have used inflammatory rhetoric, Painter said that is typically protected under the First Amendment. He said, “Unfortunately, the Trump administration and their supporters concocted this false narrative that there was an insurrection in Minnesota. It wasn't true. So now, months later, they're coming back with this criminal conspiracy charge against a handful of protesters.”