In brief
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals chief judge, Jeffrey S. Sutton, dismissed a misconduct complaint against Judge James E. Boasberg related to his alleged remarks which suggested the Trump administration would precipitate a constitutional crisis by ignoring federal court rulings. This decision underscores the importance of providing clear evidence in misconduct allegations.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A misconduct complaint filed by the Justice Department against Judge James E. Boasberg was dismissed by a federal appeals court last week. Judge Boasberg had been involved in a significant confrontation with the Trump administration regarding deportation policies, specifically related to deportations to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
The complaint against Boasberg came to light after he allegedly remarked at a judicial conference in March 2025 that the Trump administration would trigger a constitutional crisis by circumventing federal court rulings. These comments were made just days before he issued an order halting deportation flights carried out by the Trump administration using wartime authorities.
Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals noted in his dismissal that the Justice Department failed to provide an attachment or sufficient context to substantiate the claims against Boasberg. A recycling of unadorned allegations with no reference to a source does not corroborate them, Sutton stated, emphasizing that without corroboration, the allegations do not form a valid misconduct complaint.
Even if Boasberg had made the comments as alleged, Sutton suggested that they would not significantly conflict with ethics rules or the topics typically discussed at such judicial gatherings. Moreover, the chief judge highlighted that Chief Justice John Roberts had raised similar concerns about judicial independence and security earlier in a year-end report.
The complaint was initially filed with Judge Sri Srinivasan of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, who subsequently transferred it to the 6th Circuit due to ongoing appeals concerning the deportation case.
Efforts to obtain comments from spokespeople for both the Justice Department and Judge Boasberg's court were unsuccessful at the time of this report.
