Judge Boasberg holds Trump administration in contempt of his orders

James E. Boasberg, a federal district judge, found probable cause to hold Donald Trump et al. in criminal contempt of court. Boasberg complained about the fact that deportees were not given a chance to challenge their removals, and the fact that they were sent to El Salvador against his orders. Boasberg said that the Constitution does not tolerate disobeying judicial orders. Boasberg insisted that even though the U.S. Supreme Court identified a legal defect in his order, the government was not excused from their violation of that order.

From AP News:

Boasberg accused administration officials of rushing deportees out of the country under the Alien Enemies Act last month before they could challenge their removal in court, and then willfully disregarding his order that planes already in the air should return to the United States.

The judge said he could hold hearings and potentially refer the matter for prosecution if the administration does not act to remedy the violation. If Trump’s Justice Department leadership declines to prosecute the matter, Boasberg said he will appoint another attorney to do so.

“The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders — especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it,” wrote Boasberg, the chief judge of Washington’s federal court.

The administration said it would appeal.

“The President is 100% committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country,” White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote in a post on X.

The case has become one of the most contentious amid a slew of legal battles being waged against the Republican administration that has put the White House on a collision course with the federal courts.

Administration officials have repeatedly criticized judges for reigning in the president’s actions, accusing the courts of improperly impinging on his executive powers. Trump and his allies have called for impeaching Boasberg, prompting a rare statement from Chief Justice John Roberts, who said “impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.”

Boasberg said He wrote that the government’s “conduct betrayed a desire to outrun the equitable reach of the Judiciary.”

Boasberg said the government could avoid contempt proceedings if it takes custody of the deportees, who were sent to the El Salvador prison in violation of his order, so they have a chance to challenge their removal. It was not clear how that would work because the judge said the government “would not need to release any of those individuals, nor would it need to transport them back to the homeland.”

The judge did not say which official or officials could be held in contempt. He is giving the government until April 23 to explain the steps it has taken to remedy the violation, or instead identify the individual or people who made the decision not to turn the planes around.

Additional Reading:

Richer, A. D., & Kunzelman, M. (2025, April 16). Judge finds cause to hold Trump administration in criminal contempt for violating deportation order. AP News. Link.

Category: "Teh Stoopid", Democrats, Government Incompetence, Illegal Immigrants, Society