The City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department plan to move forward with the terms laid out in a federal consent decree, regardless of what may be decided by the Trump Administration.
A new Department of Justice memo directs attorneys to notify leadership of any consent decrees finalized by the Biden administration within the last 90 days. That includes the decree finalized in Minneapolis outlining reforms within the MPD. It also includes a similar agreement in Louisville.
A city spokesperson says Minneapolis will be moving forward with the terms laid out in that agreement, with or without the federal government.
“The City of Minneapolis and the U.S. Department of Justice came to an agreement on a consent decree and jointly filed it in federal court. Regardless of the Department of Justice’s plans, it is now in the hands of the judge," the statement from the city says.
“No matter what happens with the consent decree, the City is committed to this work and to building upon the reforms we’ve continued to implement in the Minneapolis Police Department. We will be moving forward with the terms laid out in this agreement, with or without the federal government.”
Attorneys in the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division were ordered not to file any new complaints, amicus briefs or other certain court papers “until further notice.” A separate memo directed attorneys to notify leadership of any settlements or consent decrees that were finalized by the Biden administration.
It said the new administration “may wish to reconsider” such agreements, raising the prospect that it may abandon two consent decrees finalized in the final weeks of the Biden administration. Those include an agreement with the Minneapolis Police Department after a long investigation into use-of-force training and practices in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd.