Minneapolis consent decree with DOJ delayed for 3rd time this year
A pending consent decree between Minneapolis and the federal government was granted a 30-day stay on Monday, for the third time this year.
The consent decree is part of a settlement outlining sweeping reforms to the Minneapolis Police Department. A two-year DOJ investigation launched after the murder of George Floyd found MPD engaged in a pattern of racist and abusive behavior that violated residents’ civil rights.
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On March 18, attorneys for the DOJ filed a motion asking U.S. Judge Paul Magnuson to extend the court’s stay for another month, for the second time. That motion was granted and the case was stayed until April 19.
On April 18, attorneys for the city filed a motion in opposition of the stay, stating, “This is the third time the United States has asked this Court to delay, and it does so with no more explanation than its new Assistant Attorney General ‘should be allowed sufficient time to review.'”
The city’s attorneys added that the stay interferes with public interest for the “swift resolution of legal disputes.”
Monday’s court filing from U.S. Judge Magnuson granted a stay for another 30 days — until May 21 — stating that the public interest “lies with granting the motion.”
A spokesperson for the city sent the following statement.
The City of Minneapolis is committed to reform work and rebuilding trust in partnership with the Minneapolis Police Department. The consent decree has been with the judge for three months, but regardless of how long the DOJ delays, the City’s work continues. We will move forward with meaningful reform with the terms laid out in the consent decree, with or without the federal government. Regardless of the Department of Justice’s stays, the consent decree is in the hands of the judge. No matter what happens, the City of Minneapolis is committed to this work and to building upon the reforms we’ve continued to implement in the Minneapolis Police Department.