A federal appeals court has dismissed a Justice Department complaint against Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who had clashed with the Trump administration over the deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador.
The complaint, announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi in July, alleged Boasberg made improper remarks about President Trump during a closed-door meeting of the Judicial Conference in March, which was attended by Chief Justice John Roberts. The DOJ claimed Boasberg expressed concern that the administration might ignore court rulings and spark “a constitutional crisis,” and argued his comments violated judicial ethics.
Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the 6th Circuit ruled the DOJ lacked evidence Boasberg made the statements, and said that even if he had, expressing concern about executive compliance in a Judicial Conference setting does not breach ethics rules. Sutton noted that topics like judicial independence, security, and inter-branch relations are customary at such meetings.
