By A Minneapolis activist group is facing mounting scrutiny after promoting training sessions on jury nullification as part of what it describes as resistance to federal immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities.
The group, Defend612, says its mission is to support “resistance to the ICE occupation in Minneapolis” by connecting community members, sharing resources, and documenting events. It has scheduled two virtual sessions, titled “The People’s Pardon or Jury Nullification,” for February 23 and March 5, 2026, according to reports.
According to descriptions posted on its website, the trainings present jury nullification as a tactic historically used “to protect one another from unjust laws and political persecution,” and explore how it may be applied in response to what organizers call “authoritarian overreach” today. Promotional material frames the effort as a means of “protecting our local heroes through Jury Nullification.”
A better description would be to see it as an attack on jury trials by infiltrating jury pools with activists.
The outreach comes amid ongoing federal prosecutions of activists accused of disrupting public events and other actions opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the region.
BREAKING: "A Minneapolis-based activist network is now openly advertising “jury nullification training,” raising new concerns about the integrity of jury trials in the Twin Cities."
Left wing activists want the fraudsters and anti-ICE attackers to get away with their… pic.twitter.com/8UkVLGVRST
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 17, 2026
Tensions escalated in January 2026 after protesters entered Cities Church in St. Paul during a worship service, chanting against ICE and targeting a pastor who also holds a position with the agency. Several individuals were arrested and later charged under federal laws protecting religious observance.
Critics warn that organized efforts to educate activists about jury nullification, particularly if aimed at influencing jury selection, risk undermining confidence in the judicial process.
Veteran Twin Cities attorney Doug Wardlow expressed concern about the implications. He said that “if people are being told to lie to the court to obtain a position on a jury and then engage in jury nullification to ensure laws are not enforced, that would be highly improper.” While acknowledging that jury nullification has “played a role in resisting perceived tyranny” in American history, Wardlow added that organizing trainings designed to obstruct enforcement in cases that do not involve clear government overreach “seems to me to be highly improper” and could cross legal lines.
Alpha News and City Journal have raised fresh questions about Defend612’s influence in Minneapolis, particularly whether the activist network now promoting jury nullification may have helped propel civilians into confrontations with federal immigration agents. The news site’s account cites an earlier City Journal investigation linking Defend612 to risky anti-ICE activism, prompting concern that the group’s outreach could have encouraged untrained residents toward direct engagement with enforcement personnel.
That report also noted that two activists killed in separate January encounters with federal authorities — Alex Pretti and Renée Good — had taken part in “ICE watching,” a grassroots tactic involving tracking and documenting Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and alerting others to enforcement actions.
Jury nullification is a recognized, though controversial, feature of the American system. Jurors retain the raw power to acquit even when evidence supports conviction, effectively refusing to apply a law they believe unjust. Judges, however, instruct juries to follow the law as given, and deliberately concealing one’s intent during jury selection can expose prospective jurors to penalties.
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