Judicial Watch alleges Gov. Tim Walz’s office failed to provide public records on efforts to extend safety programs to nonpublic schools.
A government watchdog group has filed a lawsuit against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, claiming state officials failed to respond to a public records request seeking documents about school security funding and whether nonpublic schools were considered for state safety programs.
Judicial Watch, a conservative nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., submitted its records request to the governor’s office on Aug. 28, 2025, one day after a gunman opened fire during an all-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. The attack killed two children, ages 8 and 10, and wounded 17 others.
The complaint, filed on March 4 in Wright County under the state law that governs public access to government records, asks a court to order the governor’s office to release communications from January 2022 through August 2025 pertaining to proposals to encompass nonpublic schools — which include Catholic schools — in Minnesota’s Safe Schools funding and a proposed $50 million Building and Cyber Security Grant Program.
The Safe Schools funding, including a 2019 Safe Schools Supplemental Aid appropriation, provides support for security improvements, emergency
