White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has criticized a federal judge for ruling against President Donald Trump, labeling him an activist and questioning his wife’s political donations.
Trump himself described Judge James Boasberg as a “radical left lunatic” and suggested the possibility of impeachment following his issuance of a temporary order that halted deportation flights.
Leavitt contended that the judge is trying to undermine the President’s executive power to remove foreign terrorists from the United States. She asserted that the deportation efforts will persist, as the President is empowered by the Alien Enemies Act. She characterized Judge Boasberg as a Democratic Party activist appointed by Barack Obama and condemned the government’s decision not to disclose the identities of individuals flown to El Salvador, whom the administration alleges are affiliated with violent gangs.
In a related development, Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert, despite opposition from Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court, has emerged as the latest Trump supporter to back the initiative. Boebert previously introduced a resolution to impeach President Joe Biden during the last Congress. Republican Representative Brandon Gill announced his intention to “file articles of impeachment against activist judge James Boasberg this week.”
Legal experts have cautioned that Trump is challenging judicial oversight of his actions, thereby breaching the principle of separation of powers. The US Supreme Court has rebuked President Trump for calling for the impeachment of a judge who obstructed his attempt to deport Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.
The Justice Department criticized the judge for providing excessive details about the flights, accusing him of ‘digressive micromanagement’ and defending the actions of a ‘coequal branch.’ The court responded to this criticism, stating it reflects a ‘complete misunderstanding of the serious national security, safety, regulatory, and logistical issues posed by a court order directed at pilots operating outside the United States.’The Supreme Court’s ruling arrives amid concerns from some liberal legal scholars about a potential constitutional crisis, prompted by a surge of court orders that bolster Trump’s constitutional authority. Trump has expressed disapproval of the Justice Department’s move to impeach Judge Aileen Cannon, who previously ruled in his favor regarding a classified documents case. In a remarkable address at the Justice Department, Trump commended Cannon, asserting that “fake lawyers” were targeting her unjustly.
Elon Musk, Trump’s billionaire advisor and head of DOGE, has also been advocating for the impeachment of judges who have ruled unfavorably against the administration concerning federal employee dismissals. House Republicans have responded to Musk’s initiative by pursuing the impeachment of judges who have opposed Trump.
Representative Brandon Gill intends to introduce Articles of Impeachment against activist judge James Boasberg, who issued a temporary order halting the deportation of over 200 individuals after the administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
The White House has stated that those deported to El Salvador were affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, yet it has declined to disclose the identities of the individuals currently detained in El Salvador.
The American Bar Association has issued a warning against any efforts to intimidate judges and the legal community, emphasizing that such intimidation should not be tolerated or normalized.
Trump has criticized judges who have ruled against him in his criminal cases, while Musk has utilized his platform to publicly denounce judges. The threshold for impeaching an Article III federal judge is notably high, and House Republican Representative Andy Ogles has proposed a resolution to impeach Judge John Bates.
