Justice Department Files Misconduct Complaint Against Judge James Boasberg Over Trump Comments

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The Justice Department has filed a formal misconduct complaint against Chief Judge James Boasberg, accusing the Washington, D.C. jurist of making politically charged remarks against President Donald Trump and his administration.

The complaint, which was submitted on Monday to the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Sri Srinivasan, claims that Boasberg’s public comments and courtroom conduct have crossed a line, undermining judicial impartiality. The document was signed by Chad Mizelle, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has taken a more assertive stance against politicization within the judiciary.

According to a copy obtained by CBS News, the complaint centers on statements made by Boasberg at the Judicial Conference of the United States on March 11, where he warned that the Trump administration might “disregard rulings of federal courts,” claiming this could lead to a “constitutional crisis.”

Mizelle also highlighted Boasberg’s handling of a high-profile immigration case involving the deportation of several Venezuelan nationals linked to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, who were transferred to El Salvador earlier this year under the Alien Enemies Act. Boasberg ordered the aircraft carrying them to turn around mid-flight and subsequently launched proceedings that sharply criticized Justice Department attorneys and questioned the administration’s commitment to due process.

In his complaint, Mizelle wrote: “Throughout the proceedings, Judge Boasberg rushed the government through complex litigation, sometimes giving the Trump Administration less than 48 hours to respond and threatening criminal-contempt proceedings and the appointment of an outside prosecutor against senior Trump Administration officials for failing to comply with an order that had already been vacated.”

Attorney General Bondi echoed this sentiment in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “The judge’s remarks have undermined the integrity of the judiciary, and we will not stand for that.”

The misconduct complaint is now in the hands of Chief Judge Srinivasan, who will determine whether to dismiss it or initiate a formal investigation through a judicial committee. If the complaint proceeds, a judicial council could recommend a range of corrective measures, including public reprimand or removing the judge from high-profile case assignments. Removal from the bench, however, would require impeachment proceedings and a two-thirds vote in the U.S. Senate, a high bar that rarely results in action.

This is not the first time the DOJ has pushed back against what it sees as overt political bias from federal judges. A similar complaint remains pending against Judge Ana Reyes, also of the D.C. District Court, over what officials called “hostile and egregious misconduct” during a hearing earlier this year related to transgender military service policy.

Whatever the outcome of the complaint, the episode will likely fuel continued debate over the role and accountability of judges in a politically divided America and whether impartiality is still a meaningful standard in federal courtrooms.