# Katherine Menendez **Katherine Menendez** (born 1971) is a federal judge in Minnesota, nominated by [[Joe Biden]] and confirmed **49–21** in December 2021. Before that she spent seventeen years as an assistant federal defender (1999–2016) and five as a magistrate judge. Her 2026 docket put her at the center of two of the year's biggest federal-state fights. ## Operation Metro Surge (January–February 2026) - **January 14.** In Attorney General [[Keith Ellison]]'s suit with Minneapolis and St. Paul, she declined to block ICE operations in the state while the case proceeded. [[Donald Trump]] praised her on Truth Social: "A highly respected judge declined to block I.C.E. operations in the very politically corrupt State of Minnesota." - **January 16.** In *Tincher v. Noem*, a protesters' class action, she issued an injunction barring immigration officers from arresting, detaining or pepper-spraying peaceful protesters, from using crowd-control munitions on peaceful, non-obstructive protest, and from stopping drivers without reasonable suspicion. She found "an ongoing, persistent pattern" of intimidation that "chills observers' and protesters' First Amendment rights." - **After the killing of Alex Pretti** by federal agents on January 24, she heard arguments again on January 26. She acknowledged evidence of racial profiling and excessive force but again let the operation continue (early February). See [[Operation Metro Surge]]. ## The Minnesota prediction-market ban (July 2026) When Minnesota enacted a ban on prediction markets, the [[CFTC]] sued the state in May, and [[Kalshi]] and [[Polymarket]] sought the same relief. On **July 27, 2026** Menendez granted a **preliminary injunction** blocking the ban before it took effect, finding the platforms likely to succeed on preemption. It is one of the CFTC's three wins in its campaign against the states. See [[CFTC v. Arizona]]. ## Earlier In March 2023 she struck down Minnesota's age limits on carrying firearms under the [[Second Amendment]]. The Eighth Circuit affirmed in July 2024. ## See also - [[CFTC v. Arizona]] · [[Operation Metro Surge]] · [[Keith Ellison]]