Topline
The Justice Department on Monday filed a misconduct complaint against federal judge James Boasberg, who has previously been a target of Trump’s ire over his rulings on deportation matters.
James Boasberg, chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, attends a panel … More
Key Facts
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the move in a post on X on Monday night, saying she has directed the DOJ to file the complaint against the chief judge of the U.S. federal court for the District of Columbia “for making improper public comments about President Trump and his Administration.”
The complaint letter signed by Bondi’s chief of staff was sent to the U.S. Circuit of Court of Appeals in Washington, Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan.
According to a copy of the letter published by Politico, the DOJ alleges that Boasberg made “improper public comments” at a closed-doors judicial conference in March and tried to “improperly influence Chief Justice Roberts and roughly two dozen other federal judges.”
The complaint claims that during the event, Boasberg strayed from “traditional topics to express his belief that the Trump Administration would ‘disregard rulings of federal courts’ and trigger ‘a constitutional crisis.’”
The letter said the “comments would be inappropriate even if they had some basis” before alleging that they had no basis, as the Trump administration has “always complied with all court orders.”
The complaint notes that after making these alleged comments, Boasberg blocked the administration from deporting hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a prison in El Salvador, which Mizelle’s letter claims the judge “lacked authority to do.”
Crucial Quote
In her X post, Bondi claimed Boasberg’s alleged comments “have undermined the integrity of the judiciary, and we will not stand for that.”
What Do We Know About Boasberg’s Ruling On Trump’s Deportation Efforts?
In March, Boasberg blocked Trump from invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals, who the administration alleged were members of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua. As some deportations still moved forward despite the order, Boasberg later ruled that the Trump administration likely committed criminal contempt. The Supreme Court eventually overturned Boasberg’s ruling blocking Trump’s use of the wartime act in April.
What Has Trump And His Allies Said About Boasberg?
Boasberg’s efforts to block the deportation drew outrage both from Trump and his allies. In a post on his Truth Social platform back in March, Trump attacked Boasberg, calling him a “radical left lunatic of a judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama.” The president then insisted that Boasberg should be “IMPEACHED.” Billionaire Elon Musk, then a close ally of Trump, also attacked Boasberg’s rulings, tweeting: “This is a judicial coup. We need 60 senators to impeach the judges and restore rule of the people.”
Further Reading
Trump admin escalates its war with the courts — this time targeting Judge Boasberg (Politico)
Chief Justice John Roberts Rebukes Trump’s Call To Impeach Judge Overseeing Deportation Case (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/07/29/doj-files-misconduct-complaint-against-federal-judge-boasberg-who-ruled-against-trumps-deportations/