DOJ Files Misconduct Complaint Against Judge Handling Key Deportations Case

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday filed a misconduct complaint against District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg, the judge presiding over a case against the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan illegal immigrants to El Salvador in March.

Attorney General Pam Bondi stated on X. that she had directed the DOJ to file the complaint against Boasberg, alleging “improper public comments” made against President Donald Trump and his administration.

The complaint, filed by DOJ Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle on July 28, refers to comments made by Boasberg during a session of the Judicial Conference of the United States on March 11.

Boasberg has yet to respond publicly to the complaint. The Epoch Times has reached out to Boasberg’s chambers for comment and did not receive a response by publication time.

The DOJ alleged that Boasberg had “attempted to improperly influence” Chief Justice John Roberts and about two dozen other federal judges at the session by expressing his view that the Trump administration would “disregard rulings of federal courts” and trigger a “constitutional crisis.”

The DOJ accused Boasberg of breaching his judicial duties and claimed he attempted to sway judges at the session—whom it said were presiding over other cases involving Trump and his administration—by expressing his “preconceived belief” that the administration would violate court orders.

The complaint also references Boasberg’s March 15 ruling in a case involving Venezuelan illegal immigrants suspected of being members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang—a U.S.-designated terrorist organization—who were deported to El Salvador under Trump’s proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act.

In that ruling, Boasberg halted the deportations and ordered the return of flights already en route to El Salvador. The order was later vacated by the Supreme Court.

“Throughout the proceedings, Judge Boasberg rushed the government through complex litigation, sometimes giving the Trump administration less than 48 hours to respond and threatening criminal-contempt proceedings and the appointment of an outside prosecutor against senior Trump administration officials for failing to comply with an order that had already been vacated,” it stated.

The DOJ stated that Boasberg’s actions warranted a formal investigation, saying they violated the judicial code of conduct and eroded public confidence in judicial neutrality.

The department also requested that Boasberg be taken off the deportation case and asked that the case be reassigned to another judge.

Hundreds of Venezuelan illegal immigrants were deported to El Salvador in March after Trump signed a proclamation on March 15 invoking the Alien Enemies Act, which noncitizens “with actual hostility against the United States” to be deported without legal process during wartime or invasion, despite an order from Boasberg that blocked the removal.

The White House has said that the deportation flights did not conflict with the judge’s order because the ruling was issued after the flights had already left U.S. territory.

Boasberg stated in June that the administration had “plainly deprived” the illegal immigrants of their right to seek habeas relief—or an opportunity to challenge their detention—before being deported from the United States.

Trump has previously called for the impeachment of Boasberg after the judge blocked his proclamation. But Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rejected that call.