# United States v. City of Minneapolis (MPD consent decree) *Federal civil rights case, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, docket 0:25-cv-00048, filed January 6, 2025; dismissed with prejudice May 27, 2025.* *United States v. City of Minneapolis*, No. 0:25-cv-00048-ADM-DLM (D. Minn.), was a federal civil action. In it, the United States filed a consent decree covering the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) of the [[City of Minneapolis]].[^1] The case was filed on January 6, 2025, and the City approved the decree that day.[^1][^4] The decree was brought under 34 U.S.C. §12601, the federal pattern-or-practice statute.[^1] The Justice Department's announcement stated that the decree provided for an independent monitor.[^2] The decree never took effect as an order of the court. The Justice Department moved to dismiss the case on May 21, 2025.[^4] Judge [[Paul A. Magnuson]] dismissed it with prejudice on May 27, 2025, and denied the parties' joint motion to approve the decree as moot.[^4][^5] MPD reforms continue under a separate settlement between the City and the [[Minnesota Department of Human Rights]].[^4] ## Parties and instrument The plaintiff was the United States, acting through the Department of Justice. The defendant was the City of Minneapolis.[^1][^2] The decree's terms concern the Minneapolis Police Department.[^1][^3] The filed decree runs 171 pages.[^1] A dossier note citing the Justice Department's January 6, 2025 announcement gives the length as 169 pages.[^2] According to the announcement, the decree provided for an independent monitor.[^2] The Justice Department also issued a fact sheet on the decree.[^3] ## Procedural history - **April 21, 2021:** The Justice Department opened a pattern-or-practice investigation of the City of Minneapolis and MPD under 34 U.S.C. §12601.[^4] - **January 6, 2025:** The consent decree was filed in No. 0:25-cv-00048 (D. Minn.) and approved by the City.[^1][^4] The Justice Department announced the agreement the same day.[^2] - **May 21, 2025:** The Justice Department moved to dismiss the case.[^4] - **May 27, 2025:** Judge Magnuson dismissed the case with prejudice and denied the joint motion to approve the decree as moot.[^4][^5] The Clearinghouse case history and the project's validated record both give May 27, 2025 as the dismissal date. A dossier summary of the case gives May 28, 2025.[^4] ## Claims The decree was proposed under 34 U.S.C. §12601 after the investigation opened on April 21, 2021.[^1][^4] The case did not go to trial. It was dismissed on the Justice Department's own motion before the court approved the decree.[^4] The record does not establish the substance of any individual finding beyond what the decree and the case history state.[^1][^4] ## State position In dismissing the case, Judge Magnuson questioned whether the suit presented a case or controversy. He called the decree "superfluous" given the City's existing settlement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.[^4] That settlement uses ELEFA as its monitor, and the reforms continue under it.[^4] The record does not state the grounds the Justice Department gave in its May 21, 2025 motion.[^4] ## Substrate The statutory authority for the decree is 34 U.S.C. §12601.[^1] The record contains no enactment or amendment history for the decree itself.[^1] ## Related matters After the federal case was dismissed, the state settlement between the City of [[Minneapolis]] and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights remained the vehicle for MPD reforms.[^4] CBS Minnesota reported the dismissal.[^5] ## Notes [^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, *Consent Decree, United States v. City of Minneapolis*, No. 0:25-cv-00048 (D. Minn.) (Jan. 6, 2025) — the filed 171-page decree under 34 U.S.C. §12601. https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1383116/dl [^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *Justice Department Reaches Agreement with City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department* (Jan. 6, 2025) — announcement of the agreement and of the decree's independent monitor; the source cited in a dossier note for a 169-page length. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-reaches-agreement-city-minneapolis-and-minneapolis-police-department [^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, *Fact Sheet, United States v. City of Minneapolis* (date not stated in record) — the Department's fact sheet on the decree. https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1383121/dl [^4]: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, *United States v. City of Minneapolis*, case 18178, case history (accessed 2026) — records the April 21, 2021 investigation, the January 6, 2025 filing and city approval, the May 21, 2025 motion to dismiss, the May 27, 2025 dismissal with prejudice, the "superfluous" finding, and the continuation of reforms under the MDHR settlement (ELEFA monitor). https://clearinghouse.net/case/18178/ [^5]: CBS Minnesota, *MPD Consent Decree Dismissed* (2025) — news report of the dismissal. https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/mpls-reaction-doj-dismisses-lawsuit-against-mpd/