Trump admin escalates its war with the courts — this time targeting Judge Boasberg

The Trump administration escalated its battle Monday to cast as rogue partisans federal judges who have blocked President Donald Trump’s priorities, this time taking aim at James Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced her office had filed a misconduct complaint against Boasberg over comments, reported recently in right-leaning news outlets, that Boasberg made at a meeting of judges in March with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in attendance.

“These comments have undermined the integrity of the judiciary, and we will not stand for that,” Bondi wrote on X.

According to the complaint, which was obtained by POLITICO and signed by Bondi’s chief of staff Chad Mizelle, Boasberg “attempted to improperly influence” Roberts and two dozen other judges by suggesting the Trump administration might “disregard rulings of federal courts” and trigger “a constitutional crisis.”

Days after the alleged remarks, Boasberg, an Obama appointee, rejected the administration’s efforts to summarily deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to a notorious prison in El Salvador, finding many of the deportations abused due process. Despite the order, the administration disembarked most of the Venezuelans in El Salvador, a decision Boasberg had suggested flagrantly defied his order.

Notably, the Supreme Court later vacated Boasberg’s order, saying the Venezuelan men should have filed lawsuits in the Texas district where they had been held before their deportation.

Mizelle argued that Boasberg’s views expressed at the conference violated the “presumption of regularity” that courts typically afford to the Executive Branch. And the Bondi aide said that the administration has followed all court orders, though several lower courts have found that the administration defied their commands.

The Department of Justice has filed an official complaint alleging misconduct by US District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg. Fox News has reviewed the complaint which was written by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle and addressed to the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Sri Srinivasan.

Fox News has learned that the complaint was written and filed at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi.

"The Department of Justice respectfully submits this complaint alleging misconduct by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg for making improper public comments about President Donald J. Trump to the Chief Justice of the United States and other federal judges that have undermined the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary," says Mr. Mizelle.

Judge Boasberg is presiding over a high-profile case involving the deportation of several migrants to El Salvador and has talked about holding DOJ lawyers in contempt because of his assertion that his order to turn airborne planes around was not followed. President Trump has also made critical comments about Judge Boasberg.

"On March 11, 2025, Judge Boasberg attended a session of the Judicial Conference of the United States, which exists to discuss administrative matters like budgets, security, and facilities. While there, Judge Boasberg attempted to improperly influence Chief Justice Roberts and roughly two dozen other federal judges by straying from the traditional topics to express his belief that the Trump Administration would "disregard rulings of federal courts" and trigger "a constitutional crisis." Although his comments would be inappropriate even if they had some basis, they were even worse because Judge Boasberg had no basis—the Trump Administration has always complied with all court orders. Nor did Judge Boasberg identify any purported violations of court orders to justify his unprecedented predictions."

"Within days of those statements, Judge Boasberg began acting on his preconceived belief that the Trump Administration would not follow court orders. First, although he lacked authority to do so, he issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Government from removing violent Tren de Aragua terrorists, which the Supreme Court summarily vacated.

"Taken together, Judge Boasberg’s words and deeds violate Canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges, and, erode public confidence in judicial neutrality, and warrant a formal investigation."