Federal Appeals Judge Dismisses Misconduct Complaint Over El Salvador Deportation Remarks
A federal appeals court judge has formally dismissed a misconduct complaint filed by the Justice Department against a district judge who previously clashed with President Donald Trump's administration over controversial deportations to a notorious prison facility in El Salvador.
Complaint Stemmed From Judicial Conference Remarks
The complaint against U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg was officially dismissed on December 19 by Jeffrey S. Sutton, who serves as chief judge of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. However, the dismissal order only became publicly known this weekend, bringing renewed attention to the long-running legal dispute.
The misconduct allegations originated from remarks that Judge Boasberg, who serves as chief judge in the district court for the nation's capital, allegedly made during a March 2025 judicial conference. According to the complaint, Boasberg told Chief Justice John Roberts and other federal judges that the Trump administration would trigger a constitutional crisis by disregarding federal court rulings.
Timing of Remarks and Deportation Order
Significantly, this judicial conference took place just days before Judge Boasberg issued a consequential order blocking deportation flights that President Trump was attempting to carry out. The administration had invoked wartime authorities from an 18th century law to justify these deportations to the Salvadoran prison facility, which has faced international criticism for its conditions.
In his detailed dismissal order, Chief Judge Sutton noted that the Justice Department failed to provide crucial evidence to support its allegations. Specifically, the department never supplied a listed attachment that would have documented precisely what Judge Boasberg said or provided proper context for the alleged statement made during the closed-door judicial conference.
Insufficient Evidence Cited in Dismissal
"A recycling of unadorned allegations with no reference to a source does not corroborate them," Judge Sutton wrote in his order. "And a repetition of uncorroborated statements rarely supplies a basis for a valid misconduct complaint."
Judge Sutton, who was appointed to the appeals court by President George W. Bush and oversees a circuit covering Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, further reasoned that even if Boasberg had made the comments in question, they would not have been "so far afield" from topics appropriately discussed at such judicial gatherings and would not have violated established ethics rules.
Broader Context of Judicial Independence Concerns
The dismissal order referenced Chief Justice Roberts' 2024 year-end report, which had raised general concerns about threats to judicial independence, security issues affecting judges, and historical patterns of respect for court orders throughout American history. This context appeared to inform Judge Sutton's assessment of the complaint's validity.
Originally, the misconduct complaint had been filed with Judge Sri Srinivasan, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. However, Judge Srinivasan requested that Chief Justice Roberts transfer the matter to another appeals court circuit because the D.C. Circuit was still actively considering appeals directly related to the underlying deportation case.
Accordingly, Chief Justice Roberts transferred the complaint to the 6th Circuit, where it ultimately reached Judge Sutton for review and dismissal. Representatives from both the Justice Department and Judge Boasberg's court have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding this development.
