Minnesota Attorney General Suspends Conviction Review Unit After Federal Grant Lapse
Quick Look
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suspending the state's Conviction Review Unit due to the Trump administration's refusal to renew federal grant funding.
- The unit, established in 2020 to examine wrongful convictions, can no longer operate without diverting resources from other core responsibilities.
AI-generated summary
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Wednesday he is suspending the state's Conviction Review Unit after the Trump administration declined to renew the federal grant that funded the program.
Ellison said the Justice Department's decision left his office unable to continue operating the unit without diverting resources from other core responsibilities.
"Following the Trump administration's refusal to renew federal grant funding that supported the program, my office is suspending our Conviction Review Unit," Ellison said in a statement. "Current budget constraints do not allow the program's costs to be absorbed without compromising other core responsibilities."
The unit was established in 2020 and began reviewing applications in 2021 to examine potential wrongful convictions. Ellison said it initially received a $300,000 federal grant to fund an attorney position, followed by a $500,000 renewal for another two years. He said the Justice Department denied the latest request to extend the funding.
The closure comes as the Trump administration has sought to reduce or withhold federal funding from a range of programs and Democratic-led states as part of broader policy disputes.
Minnesota has been among the states affected by those efforts, which have included attempts to freeze federal funding and an expanded immigration enforcement campaign.
The administration says its immigration policies are intended to strengthen public safety and curb illegal immigration. Civil rights organizations have challenged several of those actions, arguing they infringe on constitutional protections, including free speech and due process, and have raised concerns about racial profiling.
Earlier this year, federal immigration operations in Minnesota sparked widespread protests after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens.
The Trump administration has also pursued efforts to suspend or condition federal funding for universities, school districts and Democratic-led states over issues including transgender policies, diversity initiatives, climate programs and campus protests related to the war in Gaza.
