Joseph H. Thompson (attorney)

Joseph Thompson
Official portrait, 2025
United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota
Acting
In office
June 2, 2025 – October 10, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byLisa Kirkpatrick
Succeeded byDaniel N. Rosen
Personal details
Born
Minnesota, U.S.
EducationGustavus Adolphus College (BA)
Stanford University (JD)

Joseph H. Thompson is an American lawyer who served as the acting United States attorney for the District of Minnesota from June 2 to October 10, 2025.[1] From 2014 to 2025, he served as a federal prosecutor in that office.

Thompson was chief of the Fraud & Public Corruption section in the U.S. Attorney's Office, prosecuting fraud against state and federal government programs.[1] He resigned from that position in January 2026 when he refused to comply with pressure from the Department of Justice under the second Donald Trump administration to launch an investigation into the widow of Renée Good, a Minneapolis resident shot and killed by an ICE agent.[2]

Education

Thompson attended Gustavus Adolphus College and received his Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School.[3]

Career

After graduating, Thompson served as a prosecutor in Chicago from 2009 to 2014, working on a wide variety of cases.[2] In 2014, he joined the United States attorney's office in the District of Minnesota.[4] Thompson served as chief of the Fraud & Public Corruption section in the U.S. Attorney's Office, prosecuting fraud against state and federal government programs.[1] He was the lead prosecutor in the Feeding Our Future case and led prosecutions in other prominent fraud cases.[4]

U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota

On June 2, 2025, President Donald Trump appointed Thompson to be the United States attorney for the District of Minnesota.[1] Thompson succeeded Lisa Kirkpatrick as acting U.S. Attorney, and Andrew M. Luger as U.S. Attorney.

Thompson was serving as U.S. attorney for the District of Minnesota during the 2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators.[5] The U.S. Attorney's Office investigated the shootings in partnership with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, the FBI, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and other agencies.[6] On June 16, 2025, Thompson led a press conference announcing the apprehension of Vance Luther Boelter in the case.[7][8] On July 15, 2025, Thompson announced six federal grand jury indictments against Boelter.[9]

On January 13, 2026, Thompson and five other prosecutors resigned their positions in the District of Minnesota, reportedly due to disagreement with the Trump administration's push to investigate the widow of Renée Good, a Minneapolis resident shot and killed by an ICE agent, along with the department's unwillingness to investigate the agent who killed her.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "District of Minnesota | President Donald J. Trump Appoints Joseph H. Thompson Acting United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. June 2, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Ernesto Londoño (January 13, 2026). "Six Prosecutors Quit Over Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim's Widow". New York Times.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ^ "Trump appoints Feeding Our Future prosecutor to Acting US Attorney for Minnesota". FOX 9. June 2, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Day, Jeff; Nelson, Sarah; Meitrodt, Jeffrey (January 13, 2026). "Mass resignation at Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office stems from Renee Good shooting, investigation". Minnesota Star Tribune.
  5. ^ "Minnesota suspect attempted to kill two other state lawmakers, officials say". www.bbc.com. June 16, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  6. ^ "District of Minnesota | After Two-Day Manhunt, Suspect Charged with Shooting Two Minnesota Lawmakers and Their Spouses | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. June 16, 2025. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  7. ^ Bailey, Holly; Marley, Patrick; Roebuck, Jeremy (June 16, 2025). "Shooting suspect allegedly went to other lawmakers' homes during rampage". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  8. ^ "U.S. attorney delivers statement on Minnesota lawmaker shooting suspect". NBC News. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  9. ^ "U.S. Attorney announces grand jury indictment against Vance Boelter". KIMT News 3. July 15, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
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