The U.S. Justice Department has removed federal attorney Julie Le from her temporary assignment in Minnesota following a highly unusual courtroom exchange in which she told a federal judge she was overwhelmed and “wished” to be held in contempt so she could get a full night’s sleep.
The blunt remarks, including “the system sucks. This job sucks,” were made as she sought to explain why immigration enforcement agencies repeatedly failed to comply with court orders. Le’s removal signals growing strain within the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security legal teams as courts push back against enforcement tactics tied to the Trump administration’s expansive immigration operations in Minnesota.
