Who Is The Bush-Appointed Judge At Center Of ICE Firestorm?

“My hope is to be the Benjamin Harrison of chief judges: one that no one remembers.”

Patrick Schiltz, the chief of the federal district court in Minnesota, said this in an interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 2022.

Unfortunately for Schiltz, he is quickly becoming a well-known public figure, thanks to his fiery condemnation of ICE’s recent conduct in Minneapolis. He slammed the Trump administration’s handling of Operation Metro Surge, the mass deportation push in Minneapolis. He scolded the Trump DOJ for criticizing his colleagues, and said the administration’s attempt to get Don Lemon arrested was “frivolous.” 

On Monday, he ordered ICE Director Todd Lyons to appear in court Friday, threatening to hold him in contempt.

“This is one of dozens of court orders with which respondents have failed to comply in recent weeks,” Schiltz wrote. “The practical consequence of respondents’ failure to comply has almost always been significant hardship to aliens (many of whom have lawfully lived and worked in the United States for years and done absolutely nothing wrong): The detention of an alien is extended, or an alien who should remain in Minnesota is flown to Texas, or an alien who has been flown to Texas is released there and told to figure out a way to get home.” (RELATED: Appeals Court Halts Order Limiting ICE Tactics)

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claimed Schiltz “is just another activist judge who is clearly more concerned about politics than the safety of the Minnesotans.”

Believe it or not, Schiltz owes his career in large part to the conservative legal world, though a new report has shed light on donations he has made to a left-wing nonprofit that helps illegal immigrants with legal matters.

A Harvard Law grad, Schiltz was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2006. Between college and law school, he worked as a legislative aide for former Republican Minnesota Sen. David Durenberger. He previously clerked with the late conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and mentored conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, whom he taught at Notre Dame. He once lamented the fact that law schools tend to be overwhelmingly dominated by leftist professors and wrote a paper on how to be happy, healthy, and ethical as a practicing lawyer. He also has a passion for pro wrestling.

Following his SCOTUS clerkship, Schlitz worked for a corporate law firm in Minnesota and represented the NFL, the Minnesota Vikings, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Star Tribune, and several Catholic dioceses. He and his wife quit big law in 1999, opting to take jobs teaching at Notre Dame. Schlitz would return to Minnesota in 2000, when he helped re-start the University of St. Thomas law school.

That being said, Schiltz worked as a delegate at Democratic Farmer-Labor Party conventions, Politico reported. Additionally, he previously donated to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, a nonprofit that gives legal support to illegal immigrants. In 2023, ILCM celebrated the passage of a law that allowed illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 28: ICE agents leave a residence after knocking on the door on January 28, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues its immigration enforcement operations after two high-profile killings by federal agents in recent weeks. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

“This is a major victory for all Minnesotans – especially those impacted who have been fighting and engaging others since day one,” said Executive Director Veena Iyer at the time. “We are on the cusp of a restoring Driver’s Licenses for All, which will ensure that all Minnesotans once again can travel to work and school without fear.”

In a statement to Fox News, Schiltz said he has “donated for many years to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.”

“I have also donated for many years to Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid,” Schiltz said. “I believe that poor people should be able to get legal representation.”