# Eric Tostrud *Federal judge who dismissed the United States' sanctuary-policies suit naming Saint Paul in July 2026* Eric C. Tostrud is the federal judge who dismissed *United States v. State of Minnesota* (sanctuary policies), No. 0:25-cv-03798, on July 20, 2026.[^1] The United States filed the suit on September 29, 2025. It named the City of Saint Paul and did not name Ramsey County.[^1][^2] The complaint's contents are allegations. The dismissal is a court record.[^1] Tostrud is also the judge recorded in *United States v. Minnesota Department of Education*, No. 0:26-cv-02078. That is a [[Title IX]] action filed on March 30, 2026 against the [[Minnesota Department of Education]] and the [[Minnesota State High School League]].[^3] He is an alumnus of Mitchell Hamline School of Law. So were Warren Burger and [[John Choi]], the sitting [[county attorney]].[^4] The project's at-issue record places the July 2026 dismissal beside that shared credential. The record documents the credential and the ruling. It does not establish any connection between them.[^1][^4] ## Who Tostrud appears in the record as "Judge Eric Tostrud" and as Eric C. Tostrud.[^1][^3] Mitchell Hamline's alumni page is cited for his status as an alumnus.[^4] The page is also cited for the same status for two others: - **Warren Burger.** The pack connects Burger to the school. He wrote the 8–0 decision in [[Griggs]], 401 U.S. 424 (March 8, 1971).[^5] He also wrote the plurality opinion in *Fullilove*, 448 U.S. 448 (July 2, 1980).[^6] - **John Choi.** Choi is the sitting county attorney.[^4] ## What **The sanctuary-policies suit.** *United States v. State of Minnesota* (sanctuary policies), No. 0:25-cv-03798, was brought by the United States.[^2] The suit named the City of Saint Paul. Ramsey County was not a named party.[^1] Tostrud dismissed the case on July 20, 2026.[^1] The record here does not carry the court's stated grounds for the dismissal. It shows that the dismissal occurred. It does not establish why. **The Title IX suit.** *United States v. Minnesota Department of Education*, No. 0:26-cv-02078, is a Title IX complaint.[^3] Its defendants are the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League. As of June 18, 2026, the project's record lists the case as filed before Judge Tostrud. No later procedural status is recorded here.[^3] **An earlier Title IX finding.** About six months before that complaint, on September 30, 2025, the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services announced a finding that Minnesota had violated Title IX.[^7] The record here does not state whether the complaint relies on that finding. ## When - **September 29, 2025:** the United States files the sanctuary-policies complaint, No. 0:25-cv-03798.[^1][^2] - **September 30, 2025:** the Education and HHS departments announce their Title IX noncompliance finding against Minnesota.[^7] - **March 30, 2026:** the United States files the Title IX complaint, No. 0:26-cv-02078. The case is recorded before Judge Tostrud.[^3] - **July 20, 2026:** Judge Tostrud dismisses the sanctuary-policies case.[^1] ## In the at-issue record At-issue pair AI-Ramsey-057 is ranked 57 in Tier IV, "The Live Federal Instruments." It is dated July 20, 2026.[^1] The pair sets two documented items side by side: - the dismissal of the sanctuary suit naming Saint Paul;[^1] - the judge's law-school credential. The pair describes him as "a Mitchell Hamline graduate, class of 1990." It places him in the same school lineage as Warren Burger and John Choi.[^4] The pair draws on two sources: the school's alumni page and a news report. The alumni page is cited here for his alumnus status. The 1990 class year appears in the pair's text.[^4] The pair asserts no finding about the ruling's merits. Neither does this article. ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Judge Eric Tostrud dismissed *United States v. State of Minnesota* (sanctuary policies), No. 0:25-cv-03798.[^1] - He is the recorded judge in *United States v. Minnesota Department of Education*, No. 0:26-cv-02078. Its defendants are the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League.[^3] ### When - Sept. 29, 2025: sanctuary-policies complaint filed.[^1][^2] - Mar. 30, 2026: Title IX complaint filed.[^3] - July 20, 2026: sanctuary-policies case dismissed.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, *United States v. State of Minnesota* (sanctuary policies), case record 47014 — docket 0:25-cv-03798, filed 2025-09-29, City of Saint Paul named and Ramsey County not named, dismissed 2026-07-20 by Judge Eric Tostrud. https://clearinghouse.net/case/47014/ [^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *Justice Department Sues Minnesota Over Sanctuary Policies* (Sept. 2025) — announcement of the United States' sanctuary-policies complaint. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-minnesota-over-sanctuary-policies [^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, complaint in *United States v. Minnesota Department of Education*, No. 0:26-cv-02078 (2026-03-30) — Title IX complaint against the Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota State High School League. https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1433251/dl [^4]: Mitchell Hamline School of Law, *Notable Alumni* — alumni listing cited for the dismissing judge, Warren Burger and the sitting county attorney as alumni. https://mitchellhamline.edu/about/notable-alumni/ [^5]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Griggs*, 401 U.S. 424 (1971-03-08) — opinion by Burger, 8–0. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/401/424/ [^6]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Fullilove*, 448 U.S. 448 (1980-07-02) — Burger plurality opinion. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/448/448/ [^7]: U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, *U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Find Minnesota Violated Title IX* (2025-09-30) — agency noncompliance finding. https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-and-us-department-of-health-and-human-services-find-minnesota-violated-title-ix