The Trump administration has filed a formal misconduct complaint against Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, escalating tensions between the Justice Department and one of Washington’s most high-profile federal judges.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the move on Monday via X, citing comments Boasberg allegedly made in March that criticized the Trump administration’s handling of deportation cases. Bondi said the remarks — disclosed in a recent Federalist report — amounted to improper political commentary and compromised the appearance of judicial neutrality.
The complaint comes days after Boasberg signaled he might sanction government lawyers over their role in a controversial deportation case involving Venezuelan nationals, who claimed they were illegally transferred to a Salvadoran prison. Boasberg said in an April ruling that the administration appeared to have acted “in bad faith” by rushing three deportation flights on March 15, even as emergency court hearings were underway to determine the legality of the operation.
At the heart of the misconduct complaint are comments Boasberg allegedly made during a March meeting of the federal judiciary’s top policymaking body — a gathering that included Chief Justice John Roberts. According to the Justice Department, Boasberg warned that the Trump administration might ignore court orders, potentially provoking a “constitutional crisis.”
The DOJ claims those comments violated the federal judicial code of conduct and questioned Boasberg’s impartiality in later blocking deportations carried out under the Alien Enemies Act — a wartime statute revived by President Trump to remove suspected Venezuelan gang members.
Chad Mizelle, Chief of Staff at the Justice Department, submitted the complaint to Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Mizelle requested that a special committee investigate Boasberg’s conduct and asked that the deportation case be reassigned to another judge.
Boasberg’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
The veteran jurist, a former federal prosecutor, was initially appointed to the D.C. Superior Court in 2002 by President George W. Bush. He was elevated to the U.S. District Court in 2011 by President Barack Obama and now serves as chief judge of the influential D.C. federal court.
Boasberg has presided over multiple cases challenging President Trump’s immigration policies. In April, he stated there was “probable cause” to hold the administration in criminal contempt for violating his deportation freeze — a finding that has only intensified the conflict between the judiciary and the executive branch.
