Patrick Schiltz serves as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Hiltz has presided over multiple disputes related to surge operations in the Minneapolis subway. For example, he was recently involved in the controversy over the arrest of Don Lemon after he and his anti-ICE friends allegedly attacked St. Paul’s Church. Hiltz absurdly delayed a ruling on whether to overturn the magistrate’s decision not to issue a warrant for Lemon, claiming he would make a ruling overturning the magistrate within a week. Thankfully, the Attorney General Pam Bundy An indictment against Lemon has now been obtained from a grand jury, but Shields has no particularly good reason to make things more difficult.

Federal Judge Patrick J. Schiltz after the oath of citizenship ceremony. (David Brewster/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

Another conflict almost happened Schiltz and Agent ICE Director Todd Lyons this week. Hiltz was angry that one detainee had not been released and ordered Lyons to attend a hearing on Friday and potentially be charged with contempt of court. “The Court’s patience has expired,” Schiltz wrote ominously. The detainees have now been released, so Friday’s showdown is over. It’s easy to see how future conflicts might play out and that Hiltz shouldn’t be presiding over something. Immigration related cases.

Earlier this week, Fox News’ Bill Melukin reported Schiltz and his wife Elizabeth has donated to and volunteered with the Minnesota Immigrant Legal Center (MILC). MILC, like other legal aid organizations, provides representation to immigrants in court. Hiltz admitted to Fox News that he and his wife have long donated to MILC. He compared it to his donation to Legal Aid of Central Minnesota, which provides representation and services to the poor.

However, there are important differences between the two organizations. MILC does more than ensure immigrants are represented in court. It also advocates for and against various immigration policies. For example, it called President Trump’s earlier immigration executive orders “cruel and inhumane” in a January 24, 2025, press release. Suppose one of the executive orders comes before Schiltz in a case where immigrants challenge its legality.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents continue immigration enforcement operations on Thursday, January 28, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Madison Thorne/Anadolu, Getty Images)

this Judicial avoidance standard Codified in Chapter 28, Section 455 of the United States Code. Judges must recuse themselves when there are circumstances, such as misconduct. In other words, if a reasonable person familiar with all relevant facts questions the judge’s ability to be fair and impartial, recusal is required. This standard also appears in Section 3(C) of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges. That’s definitely the case here. Just as judges who donate to affirmative action have no authority to oversee gay rights litigation, judges who donate to open borders advocacy groups have no authority to oversee immigration cases.

Furthermore, Hiltz and his fellow district judges are not even supposed to preside over immigration detention cases because the law prohibits them from doing so. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 requires immigrants to initiate deportation proceedings in immigration court. The district court does not have jurisdiction to decide deportation issues. The Third Circuit recently overturned a left-wing New Jersey judge’s intervention in the case of Hamas supporter and Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil. District judge had blocked Khalil’s deportation, but 3rd Circuit correctly held District Court lacks jurisdiction in these cases.

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If Hiltz takes this stance, he won’t need to worry about being shunned for his MILC donations. He and all other district judges should stop interfering deportation cases Where jurisdiction is inappropriate. In the meantime, Hiltz should recuse himself from such cases and others involving President Trump’s executive orders, which organizations he has been affiliated with for years have described as “cruel and inhumane.” If he fails to do so, higher courts will need to step in to preserve the integrity of the judicial process.