WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court judge has dismissed a misconduct complaint filed by the Justice Department against a judge who clashed with President Donald Trump’s administration over deportations to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
The complaint against U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg was dismissed on Dec. 19 by Jeffrey S. Sutton, chief judge of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, although the order was only disclosed recently.
The complaint arose from remarks Boasberg allegedly made in March 2025 during a judicial conference, claiming the administration could trigger a constitutional crisis by ignoring federal court rulings. This meeting occurred shortly before Boasberg issued an order that blocked deportation flights by the Trump administration, utilizing wartime authorities from an 18th-century law.
In the dismissal, Sutton noted that the Justice Department had not provided an adequate attachment to support the claims made against Boasberg. He remarked, “A recycling of unadorned allegations with no reference to a source does not corroborate them. And a repetition of uncorroborated statements rarely supplies a basis for a valid misconduct complaint.” He was appointed by President George W. Bush to oversee the appeals circuit that encompasses Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Spokespeople for both the Justice Department and Boasberg's court did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Even if Boasberg had indeed expressed such comments, Sutton indicated that they wouldn’t be outside the realm of acceptable conversation topics and would not breach ethical standards. He highlighted that Chief Justice Roberts' 2024 report raised concerns about judicial independence and respect for court orders.
The initial misconduct complaint was filed to Judge Sri Srinivasan, who leads the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Given ongoing appeals related to the deportation case, he transferred it to the 6th Circuit, leading to this dismissal.
