Federal judge extends pause on review of Minneapolis Police Department's consent decree
A federal judge has extended the pause in the review of the consent decree between the Minneapolis City Council and the U.S. Department of Justice, which ordered expansive reforms to the city's police department.
U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson extended the temporary stay of proceedings in a court order Thursday.
The original court order filed last month allowed for a 30-day stay due to the recent appointment of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Now, the stay is granted until April 19.
The consent decree was approved by the city council on Jan. 6 and filed shortly after in federal court. The 171-page agreement says the Minneapolis Police Department will require its officers to "promote the sanctity of human life as the highest priority in their activities," and must not allow race, gender or ethnicity to "influence any decision to use force, including the amount or type of force used."
From the beginning, many advocates were concerned that the agreement was reached in the eleventh hour.
"Many of us were concerned whether that was adequate time to give to review the consent decree and to sign off on the consent decree before Donald Trump took office as the President of the United States," said Civil Rights Attorney Nekima Levy-Armstrong.
In an informal status conference held on Jan. 10, the court advised the Minneapolis City Council and the DOJ that it would read and review the proposed consent decree over the next 60 days. The motion granted on Wednesday extends the timeline by only nine days, Judge Paul Magnuson said.
The decree came nearly five years after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, sparking outrage in Minneapolis and around the world.
The consent decree requires law enforcement to meet specific goals before federal oversight is removed, a process that often takes years and millions of dollars. Some of the reforms outlined include changes to the use of force policy, limiting military-style tactics during protests and banning handcuffing children under 14.
In 2023, the Justice Department issued a scathing report that showed a yearslong pattern of racial discrimination within the Minneapolis Police Department.
During his first administration, Trump was critical of consent decrees as anti-police.
"During Donald Trump's first presidential administration he was adversed to consent decrees and we were concerned that that same energy would happen again," said Levy-Armstrong.
In a statement, a city spokesperson said "The Minneapolis federal consent decree is still in the hands of the judge. We remain committed to what is outlined in the consent decree and hope the judge approves it soon."
Shortly after his second inauguration, his Justice Department leadership put a freeze on civil rights litigation and said in a memo that the administration "may wish to reconsider" police reform agreements negotiated by the Biden Administration in the last 90 days.
"It is my hope that the Department of Justice does not attempt to withdraw what they have already signed off on or to weaken the terms that are contained within the consent decree," Levy-Armstrong said.
Still, the Minneapolis Police Department is under a court-ordered agreement with the state of Minnesota, after an investigation found the police department had engaged in a pattern of racial discrimination for at least a decade.
Levy-Armstrong believes the agreement between the state and MPD is the saving grace for all who worked for and are waiting for police reform in the city of Minneapolis.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said in January he's confident meaningful reform is possible even without federal oversight.
"There's been a whole lot of real work happening for almost a year," O'Hara said. "That state consent decree covers all of the things that people have in federal consent decrees."
NOTE: Featured video is from Jan. 23, 2025. Story was updated on March 21 with the extension of the pause.