India, June 23 -- A federal judge has delivered a stinging rebuke to the Trump administration, quashing a series of Justice Department subpoenas that targeted Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and several high-ranking local officials. In a ruling unsealed Monday, Chief US District Judge Patrick Schiltz declared the subpoenas "blatantly unlawful," finding that they were not part of a legitimate criminal investigation but rather a weaponised attempt to harass and retaliate against political opponents who resisted federal immigration policies.

The subpoenas, issued in January during the height of the administration's "Operation Metro Surge" immigration crackdown, demanded extensive records and communications from the office...