House Republicans are expanding efforts to address federal judges who rule against President Trump’s orders, with Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) filing a resolution Monday to impeach U.S. District Judge John Bates of Washington, D.C.
Ogles’ measure follows a similar push against U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan. Bates drew their ire after ordering the Trump administration to restore government health websites that had been taken offline in compliance with an executive order eliminating gender ideology extremism.
Ogles argued in his resolution that Bates failed to acknowledge that the webpages contained information on gender-affirming care, describing the judge’s actions as enabling “a grave moral evil” that warranted impeachment.
Elon Musk backed the impeachment effort on Monday, writing on X: “Time to impeach judges who violate the law.” Musk has been vocal in condemning Bates, calling him “corrupt” and “evil” after the judge’s February 11 ruling ordering the restoration of the deleted webpages.
The lawsuit prompting Bates’ decision was filed by Doctors for America, a liberal-leaning medical advocacy group, which argued that the sudden removal of the sites by the CDC and FDA hindered doctors’ and researchers’ ability to combat disease. The deletions stemmed from an executive order Trump signed on January 20, his first day back in office, directing the federal government to recognize only two biological sexes, male and female.
Ogles’ resolution contends that Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, “has engaged in conduct so utterly lacking in intellectual honesty and basic integrity that he is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors.”
