Arguments were heard this morning at the federal courthouse in downtown St. Paul in the case captioned Mohamed v. Walz. Your correspondent was there.
It’s a civil lawsuit (Case No. 25-cv-2930) filed by operators of two state-subsidized childcare businesses who are seeking $47 million in damages from the Minnesota governor and a number of the state’s top officials. The childcare centers were participants in the state’s CCAP program.
The case dates to 2022 and involves some unpaid invoices submitted by the childcare centers and a state fraud investigation that dragged on for more than a year. The invoices remain unpaid, and the plaintiffs allege that their businesses were essentially closed by the investigation that did not result in any criminal charges.
The plaintiffs originally filed the lawsuit in state court, taking the matter to the state supreme court, where they did not prevail. They refiled the suit in federal court in July 2025. I wrote about the case at the time.
At its cruz, it’s a civil rights case where the plaintiffs accuse Walz and others of discriminating against Somali business owners through a practice of selective enforcement of state laws.
According to federal court records, the suit was largely dismissed back in December. Plaintiffs have been allowed to amend their original complaint twice since then, and now face a new motion to dismiss, which was argued this morning.
Nick Shirley’s work on the subject was discussed frequently today.
Judge Donavon Frank is expected to issue his order in the coming weeks.