Royce White, a Republican U.S. Senate hopeful and former professional basketball player, is now campaigning under the cloud of a Hennepin County protective order that bars him from contacting his ex-wife and one of their children and requires him to complete court-ordered domestic-abuse programming. The order, which followed a preliminary ruling in December and was formally signed in February, appears in public court filings and has quickly become a new storyline in his 2026 Senate bid. White denies the allegations and says he is appealing the judge’s decision.
Order details and filings
Hennepin County District Court Judge Kristen Marttila signed the protective order on Feb. 17, 2026, after issuing a preliminary order in December. The court documents describe allegations that White made threats and engaged in physical and verbal abuse. The order requires him to stay a quarter mile away from his ex-wife and their son, including their home, the woman’s workplace and the boy’s school, and compels him to participate in domestic-abuse programming. These specifics are outlined in court filings, according to MinnPost.
What the judge wrote
In written findings, Judge Marttila said the ex-wife "is plainly in fear and appeared to the court to be utterly at a loss for how else to gain peace from him," language drawn from the filings that detail alleged threats and episodes of verbal and physical abuse. MPR News reports that the judge limited the stay-away order to one child because the court found the burden of proof was not met for the other child. White told the outlet that the ruling is a "substantial miscarriage of justice" and "excessively punitive" as he pursues an appeal.
Where this lands politically
White was the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024 and remains a prominent, and often controversial, figure in Minnesota politics, according to the Star Tribune. The 2026 GOP field has expanded to include former sideline reporter Michele Tafoya and other challengers. Tafoya crashes race and shifting primary dynamics are already reordering the contest, and the new court record gives White’s rivals fresh material to lean on as endorsement battles approach.
What the order could mean legally
Under Minnesota law, an Order for Protection allows courts to impose stay-away terms, require counseling and, when justified, add conditions such as firearm prohibitions. Police may arrest a respondent for violations. The Minnesota Judicial Branch outlines how an Order for Protection works, what remedies a court may impose and how enforcement is handled, according to the Minnesota Judicial Branch. These civil protections are separate from any criminal charges, and violations can carry criminal consequences.
The protective order and White’s pending appeal layer new legal and political complications onto a campaign that was already drawing controversy. How the candidate, party officials and voters respond will determine whether this order simply becomes one more footnote in a chaotic primary or a defining issue of the race. Court filings cited in recent coverage remain publicly accessible for anyone who wants to read the record firsthand as the story continues to unfold.
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