Mark Osler, professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and a former federal prosecutor, has been quoted across multiple national outlets including MPR News, The Hill and The Week analyzing the legal fallout from the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. Osler has addressed whether an ICE officer can be prosecuted, how mass resignations within the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office could affect high-profile cases, and why tensions have escalated between federal and state authorities over jurisdiction, immunity and access to evidence as investigations continue.
From MPR News:
The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office is in turmoil after several experienced federal prosecutors quit Tuesday amid pressure from Justice Department leaders to investigate Becca Good for ties to activist groups. She’s the widow of Renee Macklin Good – the 37-year-old Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent last week. The sudden departures leave the future of some high-profile prosecutions in question. ...
“There’s no substitute for the human capital in that office,” said University of St. Thomas law professor Mark Osler.
Osler, once a federal prosecutor himself, said it won’t be easy for the remaining assistant U.S. attorneys to press ahead with the fraud cases.
“We’re losing not just knowledge, the kind of thing that’s on a transcript, but also a trained prosecutor’s impression of how strong a particular witness is for example, what their relationships are with others, the things that are in Joe Thompson’s head that no one else knows,” said Osler.
From The Hill:
Whether the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who fatally shot a Minneapolis woman in her car Wednesday faces criminal prosecution may come down to the details.
Federal officials claim the officer acted in self-defense when he opened fire on Renee Nicole Macklin Good, 37, as her car moved forward during an apparent confrontation with several officers. ...
“As a prosecutor, I know that it’s easy for people on the outside to draw conclusions based on limited evidence,” said Mark Osler, a former federal prosecutor who recently served a yearlong term as deputy attorney for Hennepin County, where the shooting occurred.
“But we really do have to have a little patience so the people who see more than we do can make an evaluation,” he said.
From The Week:
... Although some elected officials in Minnesota, including Gov. Tim Walz (D), have “slammed the Trump administration” for painting Good “as an agitator” and Ross “as a hero,” local prosecutors have been more circumspect, said Bring Me The News. Moriarty’s statement that an independent investigation is “not an attack on the FBI” is, in part, an attempt to “placate federal officials.” Despite a “respect” for the FBI process, Minnesota’s community expectations are “much different in terms of transparency,” Moriarty said. On the federal side, officials are “skeptical of Minnesota’s desire to conduct a good-faith investigation,” said Fox, citing “remarks from state leaders,” including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s previous assertion that claims of self-defense by the officer are “bullshit.”
Noem’s claim that Minnesota lacks the “jurisdiction” to investigate Good’s death may also not be as clear-cut as the secretary implies. While the government can say “we’re not going to cooperate with you,” said University of St. Thomas Law professor Mark Osler at Courthouse News Service, it would be surprising “if they assert authority to stop an investigation.”
