Trump Administration Targets Federal Judge in Judicial Power Clash
The Trump administration ramped up its ongoing battle with the federal judiciary on Monday, sharpening its attacks on judges who’ve blocked the former president’s agenda. This time, the spotlight is on James Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that her office has filed a misconduct complaint against Boasberg, citing controversial comments he allegedly made during a private judicial meeting in March — a meeting that included Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
“These statements have shaken the foundations of judicial integrity, and we’re not turning a blind eye,” Bondi declared on X (formerly Twitter).
According to the complaint, obtained by POLITICO and signed by Chad Mizelle, Bondi’s chief of staff, Boasberg allegedly tried to influence Roberts and nearly two dozen other judges by suggesting the Trump administration might ignore federal court rulings, potentially igniting a constitutional crisis.
Just days after making these remarks, Boasberg — an Obama appointee — blocked the administration’s plan to rapidly deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to a notorious Salvadoran prison, citing due process violations. But the administration went ahead anyway, offloading most of the Venezuelans, a move Boasberg had already warned would defy his court order.
Later, the Supreme Court overturned Boasberg’s ruling, stating that the Venezuelan men should have filed legal challenges in Texas, where they had been detained.
Mizelle argued Boasberg’s comments undercut the "presumption of regularity" — a legal doctrine that grants the Executive Branch a baseline of trust in its operations. Mizelle also claimed that the Trump team complied with all court orders, even as multiple lower courts found otherwise.
The alleged remarks took place during the Judicial Conference of the U.S. on March 11, a biannual gathering of top federal judges. Roberts leads the closed-door conference, which includes 27 members, among them chief circuit judges and one district judge per circuit.
Boasberg’s comments came at a tense moment. Trump allies were openly suggesting judges who ruled against the president should be impeached and that certain rulings could be ignored. Judges across the system — including on the Supreme Court — had already been warning against executive defiance and stressing that all court rulings must be respected, no matter the source.
Jeffrey Sutton, chief judge of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, told reporters that several lawmakers were also present, including Senators Susan Collins, Dick Durbin, and Sheldon Whitehouse, as well as Representatives Steny Hoyer, Jamie Raskin, and Hank Johnson. However, it remains unclear whether any of them personally heard Boasberg’s remarks.
Boasberg’s office has not responded to requests for comment.
The complaint now heads to Sri Srinivasan, chief judge of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, who is responsible for disciplinary reviews within that circuit.
While federal judges are generally barred from discussing pending or upcoming cases in public, it’s uncertain whether Boasberg’s comments fall under that rule, especially given the private setting. Still, the complaint accuses him of broadly damaging public trust in the judiciary.
This isn’t the first time Mizelle has gone after a judge. Earlier this year, he filed a complaint against District Judge Ana Reyes, accusing her of bias due to her harsh criticism of the Justice Department’s defense of Trump’s transgender military ban.
Back in March, the Justice Department took the rare step of asking the D.C. Circuit to remove Boasberg from the Venezuelan deportation case. Although the request hasn’t been acted upon, Boasberg’s orders tied to contempt proceedings have been put on hold. After that ruling, Trump publicly demanded Boasberg’s impeachment, calling him a “troublemaker and agitator.”
The latest complaint once again demands that Boasberg be removed from the deportation case and publicly reprimanded. It also suggests the possibility of impeachment proceedings, initiated by his own judicial peers.
Meanwhile, the administration’s feud with the judiciary is flaring up elsewhere. The Justice Department recently sued Maryland’s federal bench over a rule requiring a 48-hour delay on deportations. And in New Jersey, Trump allies blasted judges for appointing a seasoned federal prosecutor as U.S. attorney, bypassing Trump’s favored pick, his former personal attorney Alina Habba.