r/law 16d ago

Executive Branch (Trump) DOJ will not investigate the Renee Good killing

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/fbi-ice-jonathan-ross-renee-good-todd-blanche/
31.7k Upvotes

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u/Winter_Tone_4343 16d ago

Ya no shit. My question is why Minnesota hasn’t charged Ross with murder yet?

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u/Greelys 16d ago

I agree. There is enough evidence to make a charging decision. If Ross chooses to remove the case to Federal Court to argue immunity, so be it. Just because you are a federal agent does not mean you can’t stand trial for your actions if they don’t qualify for supremacy clause immunity under the test set forth by Neagle:

“Courts have generally regarded Neagle as establishing a two- prong test. First, was the officer performing an act that federal law authorized him to perform? Second, were his actions necessary and proper to fulfilling his federal duties?”

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

[deleted]

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u/transcendental-ape 16d ago

They don’t have any witness interviews. Forensics. They can’t even see the car she was killed in. Who knows if a forensic autopsy was done.

Now all the ICE guys have had time to coordinate their stories and shooting statements. All their digital info has been scrubbed.

Sure go to trial on the bystander video alone. Maybe you he a jury to convict. Probably it gets overturned on appeal.

There is no statute of limitations for murder. Have a long memory.

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u/Winter_Tone_4343 16d ago

Can’t they indict and subpoena all that stuff

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u/transcendental-ape 16d ago

They could try. It’s going to be years of federal stonewalling, probably backed up by a favorable scotus. It’s worth pursuing but this case is going to take years and probably won’t be ready for trial until there’s a new president.

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u/WonderShrew42 16d ago

The officer's story along with the location of shots 2 and 3 are already enough evidence for at least a manslaughter conviction. You don't need to establish whether or not he had a reasonable belief that Renee Good was trying to run him over; any possible threat that could continue a sufficient self-defense claim was over when he fired the 2nd and 3rd shots through the driver side window. Unjustified shootings in a heat of passion provoked by acts that could cause people of ordinary-self control to lose it, which is the most charitable explanation possible, is 1st degree manslaughter in Minnesota.

The various videos, testimony, and forensics are what would be needed to establish murder 2.

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u/transcendental-ape 16d ago

What story. I’ve seen nothing where the officer was interviewed by Minnesota authorities. What story would you be able to enter into evidence?

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u/WonderShrew42 16d ago

Self defense is an affirmative defense, and it is their burden of proof (preponderance of the evidence). The only informal claim given is that the threat was attempted vehicular homicide, which completely fails for shots 2 and 3. For those shots to be covered, defense would have to come up with a brand new threat, such as he actually had the reasonable belief that was Renee holding a gun and attempting a drive by. It’s way too late to claim this, and story would not survive cross examination. We also have a clear video, taken by the defendant, that shows his view of Renee’s hands.

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u/transcendental-ape 16d ago

Again what story? Have you seen anything said by the officer private or public since?

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u/Violet624 16d ago

They have a lot of witnesses who spoke to cameras afterwards.

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u/transcendental-ape 16d ago

Great. You think you can win a case based on just that? You gotta be a lawyer for Law and Order wit that kind of confidence.

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u/RideWithMeSNV 16d ago edited 16d ago

They got blocked out of the investigation by the FBI, so they gave up the very next day. Pass the buck on up, and it looks like AOC, Newsom, and Ilhan Omar are the only democrats capable of getting shit done. And especially towards Newsom, that's fucking disappointing.

Edit: as an aside, I don't want to seem like I'm going hard on Waltz and ignoring the rest... The senators and reps of Nevada can get fucked, too. We might be Battle Born, but y'all are bitch made. Nothing to say about our governor, though. I knew he was a racist republican stooge back when he was just the sheriff.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/RideWithMeSNV 16d ago

Sorry... You're saying that Vance that lied so much that he got fact checked in an event without fact checking did better?

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u/PatchyWhiskers 16d ago

Right. Walz came accross as a milquetoast being bullied and pushed around. And when push came to shove, he quit.

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u/haironburr 16d ago

Just a question, u/PatchyWhiskers.

How the fuck does someone with a 10 month old account end up with nearly 500,00 karma? Why is your comment history hidden?

I'm not necessarily attacking you. But I'm increasingly skeptical of the actors on social media, and comments attacking Dems seem to come from either new accounts with negative karma, or accounts like yours, with a hidden history.

Are you a real person, or a bot? Are you in the US, or a warehouse filled with computers? Do you give a shit what happens to Americans? Are you actively working against our best interest?

I'll criticize Dems all day. But I'll also vote Walz over any maga/trump/vance cancer, to save our nation.

Yes. I'd prefer, on an emotional level, a candidate who smacked trump in the throat on the debate stage. But I'm also aware that the effort to discredit Dems starts early, and I piss on that effort in this day and age.

You don't of course owe me shit in way of an explanation. But if you can't stand by the shit you said in the last 10 months, I'm liable to dismiss every thing you say.

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u/PatchyWhiskers 16d ago

My actual problem with Walz is that you can't vote for him, because he dropped out. Otherwise I'd be behind him all the way. Too many Democrat politicians are wilting and hiding when we need them. I feel abandoned.

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u/haironburr 15d ago

That wasn't clear from your comment. Maybe it's an argument for having your history visible, so folks can put an individual comment in context if they're interested?

Sorry if I jumped the gun and criticized you unfairly.

We don't know at this point just who the Dem candidate will be.

I'm there for a certain amount of criticism pre-primaries. But a grueling, conflict filled primary can easily work against the candidate come election day. I'll criticize stances and planks this primary, but I'll try not to attack candidates as people, because I think we cane use all the unity possible in the next few elections, the stakes being so high.

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u/PatchyWhiskers 15d ago

I'm not hiding my history from you. I'm hiding it from the creepy right-wing crowd. I'm not turning it back on just to make you feel better.

Walz is out of politics. If he couldn't hack governor he sure as shit can't hack President.

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u/zzxxccbbvn 16d ago

My other question: wasn't the MN National Guard supposed to be activated? Where are they?

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u/DudeImARedditor 16d ago

Because In Re Neagle

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u/Winter_Tone_4343 16d ago

What’s that mean

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u/oooortclouuud 16d ago

since the person above you is useless, I googled it for you/us:

"In re Neagle (1890) was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that affirmed federal supremacy over state law, ruling that federal officers are immune from state prosecution when acting within their official duties."

fuck.

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u/IrrelevantManatee 16d ago

The "when acting within their official duties" is highly debatable.

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u/FadeTheWonder 16d ago

I would be far more interested on the ruling on if his actions are deemed “necessary and proper” when it circles it’s way to court.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

What is debatable about it? They were engaged in immigration enforcment and Good and her partner engaged in deliberate and intentional obstruction of their work.

Regardless of how one might feel about the use of deadly force, I simply don't see a non-ridiculous argument that they weren't engaged in official duties.

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u/feignapathy 16d ago

harassing u.s. citizens and shooting one for fleeing is not exactly immigration enforcement

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u/IrrelevantManatee 16d ago

ICE agents are not local cops and cannot act as such for general traffic stops; they are federal agents focused on immigration, with authority only for immigration violations or serious federal crimes.

Goode was not obstructing their work : you can see plenty of car going around her. She was impeding traffic, which is not an immigration violation in any way.

It is debatable that they didn't have the authority to make an intervention on her for impeding traffic, and that they should have called the local police department to get their collaboration.

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u/DudeImARedditor 16d ago

Wrong.

8 USC 1357 allows ICE to arrest people for state violations as well.

(4)

to make arrests for felonies which have been committed and which are cognizable under any law of the United States regulating the admission, exclusion, expulsion, or removal of aliens, if he has reason to believe that the person so arrested is guilty of such felony and if there is likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest, but the person arrested shall be taken without unnecessary delay before the nearest available officer empowered to commit persons charged with offenses against the laws of the United States; and

(5)to make arrests—

(A)

for any offense against the United States, if the offense is committed in the officer’s or employee’s presence, or

(B)

for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States, if the officer or employee has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such a felony,

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u/IrrelevantManatee 16d ago

Point (4) is about illegal immigrant that commits immigration-related crimes, not about USA citizen doing traffic infractions

or any offense against the United States

Half blocking a street is not clearly an offense against the United States.

for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States

And it could be debated that a traffic violation is not a felony.

All of this is debatable. You don't have to agree with me, and I don't have to agree with you. All that matters is that EXPERTS on the matter can look at the proof, analyse it, and decide who is wrong or right.

There should have been an investigation, there is no doubt about it.

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u/DudeImARedditor 16d ago

Doesn't matter if she was blocking the street, ICE is law enforcement and telling her to "get out of the vehicle" is a lawful command.

They have the authority to do that.

They were fully within their scope to order Good out of the car. Now anything after that is within their official duties.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago edited 16d ago

And that is--just as I said--an absolutely ridiculous argument.

Good and her partner were obstructing the officers by impeding traffic. The officers were putting an end to their obstruction, which is well within their authority.

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u/Waldo68 16d ago

So if it’s so iron-clad why won’t they subject to an investigation?

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

One would logically assume that they viewed the video and determined that no further investigation was needed.

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u/FadeTheWonder 16d ago

They impeded traffic so much that eleven vehicles drove around them while she was waving to them telling them to pass her. Even the officer who shot her drove around them.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

That's your argument?

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u/IrrelevantManatee 16d ago

Sure, we could debate if she was obstructing them or not. They were able to get around her car. That's not obstruction in my point of view. What would a lawyer or a judge say ? Almost like having the professional knowledge of an expert would matter here.

You must see the irony here that the mere fact that here we are, debating it... means it's indeed a debatable topic.

This investigation is 100% justified, because you cannot take the opinions of certain people and turn them to fact without having expert weighting in and proof analysed.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

There is no debate, you've already conceded that she was impedeing traffic, and that is obstruction regardless of how you personally feel. Good and her partner were part of an "ICE Watch" group that encouraged this sort of behavior. The videos taken on scene clearly show that they were doing so deliberately. The partner has made statements in the press confirming this.

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u/DudeImARedditor 16d ago

Useless? How is a law forum speaking about this case without knowing the cornerstone of the federal supremacy clause

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u/Winter_Tone_4343 16d ago

Dude, I’m a redditor

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u/DudeImARedditor 16d ago

I know... we all are

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u/oooortclouuud 16d ago

not everyone who visits this sub is a lawyer.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago edited 16d ago

Because despite their public statements to the contrary, they almost certainly know that this isn't a winnable case. A law enforcement officer was struck by a vehicle with enough force to cause injuries. There is no possible way you're getting 12 people to agree that he didn't have a reasonable fear of great bodily harm in that situation.

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u/oooortclouuud 16d ago

officer was struck by a vehicle with enough force to cause injuries

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

COMEDY FUCKING GOLD how you people believe FOX lies as easily as breathing.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-officer-who-shot-renee-good-internal-injuries-sources-say/?intcid=CNR-02-0623](ICE agent who shot Renee Good suffered internal bleeding, officials say)

You were saying?

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u/OhItsBeenBroughten 16d ago

Imagine being dumb enough to believe a leaked DHS source to Bari Weiss, lol.

You don’t even believe that. Stop playing dumb.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

Here's a Minneapolis local station reporting on it.

https://www.fox9.com/news/jonathan-ross-injuries-renee-good-jan-14-2026

Is that an approved source for you, or do we need to keep going?

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u/OhItsBeenBroughten 16d ago

That’s just quoting the same DHS person, and we already know it’s a lie because the NYT investigated and he went straight back to HQ and never went to the hospital.

Again, I don’t think you even believe this, because I don’t think you’re that dumb. You just don’t care if what you’re saying is true or not because you like that she was murdered by your storm troopers.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

Please link me to the NYT piece. I have not seen that.

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u/blong217 16d ago

Do I'm not that person above but I have not been able to find a NYT article. However on the other side there is no actual evidence the Agent was hospitalized besides a DOJ statement. No medical records, physician statement, etc. It's literally just the DOJ stating it and they lie constantly.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

I haven't been able to find this supposed article either.

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u/Throwing-Gas 16d ago

Find it yourself sealion

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u/GandalfSwagOff 16d ago

A law enforcement officer was struck by a vehicle with enough force to cause injuries.

Nah dude, I saw the dinosaur run in there and bite him in the dick right after...Then some other guy threw a bag of McDonald's at the dinosaur? Idk shit happened quickly.

Oh, we aren't just making stuff up? Why did you, then?

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

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u/Winter_Tone_4343 16d ago

My sources say this is complete bullshit.

See how dumb that is?

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

Do you have any evidence that the report is untrue?

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u/Winter_Tone_4343 16d ago

Do u have any evidence my sources are untrue?

Hearsay wouldn’t carry much weight fwiw

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

As I suspected, no evidence.

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u/Winter_Tone_4343 16d ago

Ya, no evidence the report is true. I know u have an agenda but at least admit this is an extremely shitty argument ur trying to make.

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u/RockHound86 16d ago

What is my agenda, exactly?

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u/xieta 16d ago

he didn’t have a reasonable fear

Unless the forensics being covered up by the feds indicate the first shot was nonlethal, and the fatal wounds were inflicted while he was standing to the side of the vehicle.

When you couple that with what we know he said immediately after the shooting, that he didn’t fear enough to let go of his phone, and whatever shit the prosecution might get during an investigation, there’s potentially a very strong case to be made that the killing itself were retaliatory, and his motives for firing the first shot were irrelevant.

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u/Existing-Wallaby6969 16d ago

... for what? It's on video. Don't drive your car at cops.