Attorney General Pam Bondi has recently taken a significant step against a federal judge, filing a misconduct complaint against U.S. District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg. This action has been widely reported and is seen by some as an escalation in the Trump administration’s conflict with the judiciary.
The complaint, filed by Bondi’s direction, alleges that Judge Boasberg made “improper public comments” about President Trump and his administration. These comments reportedly occurred during a closed-door session of the Judicial Conference of the United States in March, where Boasberg allegedly expressed concerns that the Trump administration might “disregard rulings of federal courts” and potentially trigger “a constitutional crisis.”
The Department of Justice, under Bondi, asserts that these remarks undermined the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary and violated the Code of Conduct for United States Judges. The DOJ’s complaint requests that the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Sri Srinivasan, refer the complaint to a special investigative committee to determine if Boasberg’s conduct warrants disciplinary action, including a public reprimand and possible recommendation for impeachment. The DOJ is also seeking Boasberg’s recusal from a high-profile case involving the deportation of Venezuelan migrants, over which he has presided and in which he previously found probable cause to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt.
This is not the first time the Bondi Justice Department has filed a misconduct complaint against a federal judge; a similar complaint was filed earlier in the year against U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes. These actions signal a continued effort by the Trump administration to challenge judicial decisions and statements that it views as biased or undermining its agenda.
