The Justice Department on Monday filed a misconduct complaint against U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg. In a post on X, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the complaint was based on Boasberg’s “improper public comments about President Trump and his Administration,” which “undermined the integrity of the judiciary.”
The complaint, filed by Bondi’s chief of staff Chad Mizelle and submitted to Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Sri Srinivasan of the D.C. Circuit, requests “corrective measures,” including the reassignment of J.G.G. v. Trump to a different judge, a public reprimand, and a referral to the Judicial Conference to consider impeachment-related recommendations if willful misconduct is found.
The move comes after reporting by The Federalist revealed that Boasberg had advised Chief Justice John Roberts and more than two dozen other federal judges that members of the D.C. District Court were “concern[ed] that the Administration would disregard rulings of federal courts leading to a constitutional crisis.” The remarks were made during a Judicial Conference meeting in March, where high-ranking federal judges met to discuss court policy and administration.
According to an internal memo obtained by The Federalist, Boasberg raised these concerns during a closed-door working breakfast, prompting Chief Justice Roberts to respond with hope that no crisis would materialize. Roberts also remarked that his interactions with President Trump had been “civil and respectful.”
The discussion, which took place while Trump is a named defendant in numerous ongoing cases before the D.C. District Court, was inappropriate and prejudicial. Federal judges are expected to observe a “presumption of regularity,” which assumes public officials comply with the law and discharge their duties properly. The memo shows that Boasberg disregarded that standard in Trump’s case.
