Justice Dept. Lawyer Found in Contempt by Federal Judge

Judge Laura M. Provinzino of the Federal District Court in Minnesota held a Trump administration lawyer in civil contempt after the government failed to return identification documents belonging to Rigoberto Soto Jimenez. She had ordered Mr. Soto Jimenez released with his property returned, and imposed a $500 daily fine on Matthew Isihara for each day the documents are not returned, beginning on Friday.

An online profile identified Mr. Isihara as a military judge advocate detailed as a special assistant U.S. attorney. The contempt ruling followed a 93-minute hearing, and court filings say Mr. Soto Jimenez, a Mexican citizen, has lived in Minnesota since 2018 and was arrested on Jan.

14 after which he filed a writ of habeas corpus. The ruling comes amid a surge of immigration arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and mounting judicial concern about compliance with habeas orders. The chief judge in the District of Minnesota compiled a list of nearly 100 violations of court orders in habeas cases since Jan.

United States, Minnesota

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