By Greg Shipley, January 13, 2026
In an extraordinary sign of internal turmoil at the U.S. Department of Justice, six federal prosecutors in Minnesota — including the state’s First Assistant U.S. Attorney — resigned Tuesday amid disputes over the federal handling of the investigation into the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Minnesota resident Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
According to multiple reports, the departures stem from Justice Department leadership’s controversial decisions — including sidelining the Civil Rights Division, excluding Minnesota’s own investigative agency, and pursuing a criminal inquiry into Good’s widow rather than the ICE officer who fired the fatal shot.
Among those who resigned was Joseph H. Thompson, a long-tenured prosecutor who had served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney and previously oversaw major fraud prosecutions in the state. Thompson’s departure — alongside at least five colleagues — was reportedly driven in part by a Justice Department push to investigate Good’s surviving spouse, a move that rank-and-file prosecutors saw as politically fraught.
Dispute Over Investigation Strategy
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced earlier this week that the DOJ believes there is “no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation” into the officer’s conduct, a decision that shocked many inside the department given the high profile and severity of the case.
Justice Department officials have maintained that the ICE agent acted in self-defense and that Good’s actions — including allegedly driving toward the officer — justified the use of force. Those conclusions have been a lightning rod for criticism, especially given video footage that appears to show Good’s vehicle turning away when shots were fired.
Adding to the controversy, the FBI — rather than local authorities — now has exclusive control over the federal investigation. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), which normally would play a key role in state-level shooting investigations, was reportedly barred from evidence and scene access after initially being invited to participate.
Internal and External Backlash
The Minnesota resignations come hot on the heels of a parallel wave of departures from the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division in Washington, where senior prosecutors quit after being informed they would play no role in the Minneapolis case.
Gov. Tim Walz and other state leaders have sharply condemned the federal approach, calling the resignations “a loss for Minnesota” and warning that public confidence in justice is at stake. Civil rights advocates, too, say the DOJ’s stance undermines accountability for federal law enforcement officers.
Critics on the right and the left alike argue that excluding experienced civil rights lawyers from the probe and shifting investigative responsibilities away from state authorities risks politicizing what should be an impartial legal process.
What Comes Next
The FBI continues to lead the investigation into Good’s death. Federal prosecutors in Minnesota are now rebuilding after losing several of their most experienced attorneys, a shake-up that could ripple into unrelated cases — including substantial public corruption and fraud work.
The resignations represent both internal resistance to Justice Department directives and a broader clash over the federal government’s priorities in investigating law enforcement actions. Regardless of political affiliation, the departures underscore that the fallout from Renee Good’s death will be felt long after the headlines fade.
Greg Shipley covers U.S. news and politics, with a focus on constitutional issues, national security, and government accountability.
