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<\/p>\n Email Link<\/p>\n \n The Department of Justice has filed a misconduct complaint against US District Court Judge James Boasberg<\/a> \u2013 marking another formal challenge against a federal judge who has pushed back on the Trump administration\u2019s policies.\n <\/p>\n \n The complaint, submitted Monday and obtained by CNN, alleges that Boasberg, the DC judge at the center of cases involving the administration\u2019s use of a colonial-era law to send undocumented immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador, made comments about President Donald Trump at a Judicial Conference meeting in March that \u201cundermined the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhile there, Judge\u202fBoasberg attempted to improperly influence Chief Justice (John) Roberts and roughly two dozen other federal judges by straying from the traditional topics to express his belief that the Trump Administration would \u2018disregard rulings of federal courts\u2019 and trigger \u2018a constitutional crisis,\u2019\u201d Attorney General Pamela Bondi\u2019s chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, said in the complaint.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cAlthough his comments would be inappropriate even if they had some basis, they were even worse because Judge Boasberg had no basis,\u201d Mizelle argued, insisting that the Trump administration has complied with court orders.\n <\/p>\n \n The complaint alleges that days after making the statements, Boasberg \u201cbegan acting on his preconceived belief that the Trump Administration would not follow court orders,\u201d pointing to the judge\u2019s order restricting the administration\u2019s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n The Federalist<\/a> reported on Boasberg\u2019s remarks at the conference earlier this month, citing a memorandum it obtained. In response to the concerns raised by Boasberg at the conference, \u201cChief Justice Roberts expressed hope that would not happen and in turn no constitutional crisis would materialize,\u201d according to the memorandum.\n <\/p>\n \n Bondi said on social media Monday night the complaint came at her direction, arguing that Boasberg\u2019s \u201ccomments have undermined the integrity of the judiciary, and we will not stand for that.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n CNN has reached out to Boasberg for comment.\n <\/p>\n \n The move is yet another escalation in the Trump administration\u2019s conflicts with the judiciary<\/a> and comes after the Department of Justice filed another misconduct complaint against a DC district court judge earlier this year. In February, the department accused Judge Ana Reyes of misconduct during hearings over Trump\u2019s executive order that called for banning transgender troops from serving in the US military, the Associated Press reported<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n The complaint against Boasberg asks the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Sri Srinivasan, to refer the complaint to a special investigative committee, reassign Boasberg\u2019s relevant cases to another judge, and \u201cimpose appropriate disciplinary action, including a public reprimand and referral to the Judicial Conference for consideration of impeachment-related recommendations, if the committee finds willful misconduct.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n It\u2019s extremely unusual for the Justice Department to complain formally about a judge\u2019s behavior rather than pursue its agenda through the court system directly. It is also unusual for a public debate to erupt around conversations between judges, which rarely come to light, at their private annual events.\n <\/p>\n \n Trump\u2019s rhetoric opposing the judiciary has been far more aggressive than during his first term. In March, Trump labeled Boasberg a \u201cRadical Left Lunatic Judge\u201d and called for his impeachment on social media. The action drew a rare rebuke from Roberts, who made a highly unusual statement shortly after Trump\u2019s posts.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cFor more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,\u201d Roberts said in a statement released by the Supreme Court at the time. \u201cThe normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Federal judges hold lifetime appointments, and their impeachment and removal is extremely rare. The House of Representatives has impeached only 15 federal judges since 1803, and eight of those impeachments were followed by convictions in the Senate, according to New York University\u2019s Brennan Center for Justice<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n
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