US Justice Department can use military lawyers to prosecute civilians, judge rules [View all]

Source: Reuters

The Trump administration's assignment of military lawyers to help the Department of Justice prosecute civilians for offenses unrelated to the military does not violate ​federal law, a Minnesota judge ruled on Friday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Shannon Elkins ‌in Minneapolis reached that conclusion, opens new tab in a closely watched case in which a defendant challenged the lawfulness of being prosecuted by a lawyer from the armed services.

Paul Johnson, a Minnesota resident, was charged with ​assaulting a Customs and Border Protection agent in January as President Donald Trump's administration ​pursued an aggressive immigration enforcement surge in his state.

During the surge, the ⁠Defense Department assigned lawyers belonging to the Judge Advocate General's Corps to assist the U.S. ​Attorney's Office in Minnesota, after it had sent JAGs to help prosecute crime in ​Washington, D.C., and Tennessee.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-justice-department-can-use-military-lawyers-prosecute-civilians-judge-rules-2026-05-02/