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Federal probe into Good questioned

First Amendment groups say her past is irrelevant

By: BrieAnne J. Frank
USA Today

..... First Amendment groups are concerned that the federal government's investigation into the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis will have negative implication for free speech.
..... The concern follows New York Times reporting that the Department of Justice and FBI are looking into Good's potential connections to activist groups as part of the federal investigation into the January 7 [2026] shooting in which Immigration and customs Enforcement Officer Jonathan Ross fatally shot Good.
..... The administration is investigating her possible ties to groups that have pretested President Donald Trump;s approach to immigration enforcement, the news organization reported, citing people familiar with the inquire.
..... Several First Amendment experts questioned the relevance of the potential background. They reiterated that the Good investigation is in its early days and that more facts would be revealed as it continues.
..... The Department of Justice refereed USA Today to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's X posts addressing the fallout over Good's killing.
..... Bondi said in a January 8 [2026] post that peaceful protest is a "sacred American right protected by the First Amendment" but it is a federal crime to impede or attack federal law enforcement or damage federal property.
..... "If you cross that red line, you will be arrested and prosecuted,: she wrote. "Do not test our resolve."
..... Blanche wrote in part that law enforcement officials are not required to "gamble with their lives in the face of a serious threat of harm."
..... USA Today reached och to the FBI for comment.

Experts question relevance of potential activism

..... Teresa Nelson, legal director for the American civil Liberties Union in Minnesota, said she saw "a lot of through-lines" between the reported investigation into Good's possible activist ties and how officials have responded to other police custody deaths in the state.
..... She described a trend of officials seeking to downplay law enforcement's roles in such deaths, specifically referring to the cases of George Floyd, murders by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020; and David Croud, who died under Duluth Police Department custody in 2005.
..... What matters most in such investigation, Nelson said, is "what's happening when that situation arises."
..... "That person's past, their involvement in other activities, is really not relevant," she said.
..... Nelson noted the ACLU was founded amid threats to civil rights fueled by widespread anti-communist sentiment in the years after World War I, saying their is a "long history of ... The United States government suppressing speech in times of turmoil."
..... Her organization issued ICE in December [2025] on behalf of several community members, alleging that the federal government had violate their First and Fourth Amendment rights by responding to their peaceful protest with "harassment, intimidation, force and detention.
..... Contney Hosteltler, legal director for Free Speech for People, referred to the reported federal probe into Good's potential activism as an "incredibly dangerous assault on our First Amendment."
..... She said American "should be worried about their First Amendment rights," adding that the nation;s founders "understood tyranny would be a constant threat" when they established a system of checks and balances.

Different views on roles of state, local governments

..... Hostetler said state and local governments are :one of the strongest mechanisms" in challenging federal overreach and called for them to "stop sitting back" as the Trump, administration boosts tis presence in their jurisdictions.
.... But David Keating, president of the Institute for Free Speech,s aid "temperatures would be down considerably" if state and local governments committed to working with federal authorities when it comes to immigration enforcement.
..... "If they would cooperate, it would make things a lot less volatile politically I think," he said.
..... Keating also condemned certain rhetoric about ICE, including Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin's January 11 [2026] X post comparing the United States to Iran, where thousands have reportedly been killed in nationwide protests against the Iranian government. Martin said both countries' government are displaying "authoritarian behavior," making comparison that Keating described as "obviously wrong."
..... USA Today reached out to the Democratic National Committee for comment.
..... Nelson described the federal response to protesters as :disproportional to the conduct" and said such responses are contributing to a "tremendous chill in speech."
..... "We recognize the need for security, the need for the ability of law enforcement to do their jobs, we recognizing all of that," Nelson said. "And there;s also a need to make suer that First Amendment rights are not just respected but facilitated."

..... BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA Today's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

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