Enforcement action · U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Ellison et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture
Ellison et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture is an AI-related enforcement action involving U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison secured a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Agriculture's demand for sensitive SNAP recipient data, preventing its use for an alleged mass surveillance agenda.
Action details
- Agency
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Jurisdiction
- MN
- Enforcement type
- injunction
- Document type
- agency report
- Effective
- 2025-10-16
- Topic
- ai privacy
Summary
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, leading a coalition of 22 states, announced a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on October 16, 2025. This court order halts the USDA's demand for sensitive personal information, including social security numbers and home addresses, from millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, preventing its potential use for an alleged 'Orwellian surveillance campaign' likely tied to immigration enforcement. The injunction also blocks the USDA from withholding administrative funding from states, ensuring $1.4 billion continues to flow to over 400,000 hungry Minnesotans while the coalition's litigation, asserting violations of federal laws and the U.S. Constitution, proceeds.
Primary source
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2025/10/16_USDA.asp →Related U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) actions
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Frequently asked questions
- What is Ellison et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture?
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, leading a coalition of 22 states, announced a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on October 16, 2025. This court order halts the USDA's demand for sensitive personal information, including social security numbers and home addresses, from millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, preventing its potential use for an alleged 'Orwellian surveillance campaign' likely tied to immigration enforcement. The injunction also blocks the USDA from withholding administrative funding from states, ensuring $1.4 billion continues to flow to over 400,000 hungry Minnesotans while the coalition's litigation, asserting violations of federal laws and the U.S. Constitution, proceeds. Primary source →
- Which agency brought the action?
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) brought this enforcement action in MN. Primary source →
- What was the penalty?
- No specific penalty amount is disclosed in the primary source AIGI tracked for this action. Some enforcement actions resolve through injunctive relief, consent decrees, or behavioural undertakings rather than monetary penalty. Primary source →
- When did the action take effect?
- The action was effective 2025-10-16. Primary source →
- Where can I find the primary source?
- The primary source for Ellison et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture is at https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2025/10/16_USDA.asp. AIGI does not paraphrase secondary commentary — every claim on this page links back to that primary source. Primary source →
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