WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has dismissed a misconduct complaint filed by the Justice Department against a judge who engaged in a public dispute with President Donald Trump’s administration regarding deportations to a controversial prison in El Salvador.
The complaint against U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg was dismissed on December 19 by Jeffrey S. Sutton, the chief judge of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the decision was only made public recently.
This complaint originated from statements Boasberg allegedly made during a judicial conference in March 2025. He reportedly warned Chief Justice John Roberts and other judges that the Trump administration could provoke a constitutional crisis by ignoring federal court rulings. This remark came just days before Boasberg issued a ruling to halt deportation flights the Trump administration was conducting.
Sutton's dismissal order emphasized that the Justice Department did not present adequate proof or context regarding Boasberg's comments, stating, A recycling of unadorned allegations with no reference to a source does not corroborate them. He further asserted that uncorroborated statements are insufficient to support a valid misconduct complaint.
Justice Department representatives have not yet responded to requests for comments, while Judge Boasberg has declined to address the dismissal.
Despite the allegations, Sutton indicated that if Boasberg had made those statements, they would not be considered outside the bounds of appropriate judicial conduct, considering that discussions during the conference included concerns over judicial independence raised in a report by Roberts.
The misconduct complaint was initially directed to Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge of the D.C. Circuit, who transferred the matter to the 6th Circuit following an ongoing review of appeals related to the deportation case.
