Judge scolds DOJ in dismissing ICE facility trespassing charge against Newark mayor

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Hill

05/21/25 2:00 PM ET


A federal judge on Wednesday chided the Department of Justice (DOJ) during a hearing where he agreed to dismiss a trespassing charge against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D), stemming from his visit to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility earlier this month alongside three Democratic members of Congress.

U.S. District Judge Andre Espinosa said the arrest suggested a “worrisome misstep” by the New Jersey’s U.S. attorney’s office, noting the “apparent rush” in bringing the case that culminated in the government’s “embarrassing” retraction of the charge.

He dismissed the complaint against Baraka with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be brought again.

“Your role is not to secure convictions at all costs, nor to satisfy public clamor, nor to advance political agendas,” Espinosa said to the government’s lawyer. “Your allegiance is to the impartial application of the law, to the pursuit of truth and to the upholding of due process for all.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5312170-newark-mayor-baraka-charge-dismissed/

[JustAnotherGen]

1. I'm telling you

Rep Mciver's Atty is going to eat Habba's lunch.

[Cha]

8. Oh I HOPE SO.. TY Gen!

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Due process, truth, and impartiality rear their ugly heads in the same sentence.

[BurnDoubt]

3. His Statement Is Required Reading For ALL Who Serve Under The Constitution.

THIS is your job description. Do Not Waver. Do Not Fail.

[BurnDoubt]

4. This should be hung on the door to the Supreme Court. They need to be reminded.

[Walleye]

5. Without their stupid immunity ruling, we would have some recourse to Trump imprisoning people without a trial

[BurnDoubt]

6. Yep.

With him, EVERYTHING is Official, including his Fugue-state rants on his Golden Bowl. I think Jefferson would be moved to shoot him, seeing how he's abused the Constitution and the Citizens (now, his Subjects) of 'Murka.

[Walleye]

9. We are no longer his constituents, his constituents consist of billionaires only now

I think seriously he will try throwing Bruce Springsteen in jail for Springsteen is a billionaire might get a little more respect.

[Trueblue Texan]

7. the headline reads as though the judge was chiding them for dismissing the charge. nt

[MuirHero]

12. Agree, that's how I read the headline as well.

[liberalla]

10. Your allegiance is to the impartial application of the law, to the pursuit of truth and to the upholding of due process

Memorize this sentence!

[SouthBayDem]

11. Espinosa is a magistrate judge, not district judge.

I couldn't find his name on FJC.gov, but here's his district court page: André M. Espinosa.

[BurnDoubt]

13. But... his name... he don't sound 'Murkin to me.

[surfered]

14. Great!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

15. Hot mic catches Newark mayor's stunned reaction as judge bashes Alina Habba over arrest

This makes me smile. The Newark mayor was caught saying “Jesus, he tore these people a new a--hole. Good grief.”

Hot mic catches Newark mayor's stunned reaction as judge bashes Alina Habba over arrest

www.rawstory.com/trump-justic...

— 🦋❄️🍁Baron🍁❄️🦋 (@baron333.bsky.social) 2025-05-21T20:03:29.796Z

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-justice-department-2672181747

A federal judge dismissed a case against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka after he was arrested outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center in New Jersey earlier this month — and attacked the Justice Department for pursuing it.

Interim New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, Trump former criminal lawyer and a staunch ally, announced an investigation into the case last week......

New Jersey Globe reporter Zach Blackburn reported Wednesday, the judge gave "Baraka’s attorneys a chance to rebut the charges," but then "seem[ed] confused by the prosecutor’s conduct throughout the case."

“The hasty arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, followed swiftly by the dismissal of these trespassing charges a mere 13 days later, suggests a worrying misstep by your office,” Federal magistrate judge Andre Espinosa said. “An arrest, particularly of a public figure, is not a preliminary investigative tool. It is a severe action, carrying significant reputational and personal consequences, and it should only be undertaken after a thorough, dispassionate evaluation of credible evidence.”.....

“Your office must operate with a higher standard than that," the judge demanded.

“Federal prosecutors serve a single paramount client: justice itself,” Espinosa added. “Your role is not to secure convictions at all costs, nor to satisfy public clamor, nor to advance political agendas. Your allegiance is to the impartial application to the law, to the pursuit of truth, and to the upholding of due process for all.”

Baraka and other New Jersey lawmakers, including McIver, went to the ICE facility after it began housing detained migrants in early May, the report said. The charges were dismissed "with prejudice," which means they cannot be brought again.

Baraka was caught on a hot mic after the hearing saying, “Jesus, he tore these people a new a--hole. Good grief.”

[Miguelito Loveless]

16. I stopped reading after "worrisome misstep"

As long as people continue to soft-peddle reality, fascism thrives.