The federal judge who has found himself in conflict with the White House regarding immigration enforcement, and has recently been the target of impeachment demands by President Donald Trump, is a bipartisan appointee. His three-decade tenure in Washington, D.C., includes rulings that have benefitted Trump.
James Boasberg, serving as the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia since 2023, incurred Trump’s anger when he temporarily halted the administration’s plan to conduct migrant deportations by air over the weekend utilizing a seldom-invoked wartime statute.
In a Fox News interview that aired on Tuesday, Trump suggested the impeachment of Boasberg, dismissing him as a “local judge.” He had previously called for Boasberg’s impeachment on social media, labeling him a “radical left lunatic, a troublemaker and agitator.”
However, those familiar with Boasberg and his judicial history argue that those characterizations are far from accurate.
In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Boasberg as an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was later nominated by President Barack Obama for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2011 and confirmed by the Senate with a unanimous 96-0 vote.
An attorney in Washington who has regularly appeared before Boasberg, now 62, described him as an “extremely conscientious” judge who is “very much down the center” and dedicated to ensuring justice.
“He’s widely recognized by lawyers and colleagues as a brilliant judge,” remarked the attorney, who chose to remain anonymous to avoid any perception of favoritism toward the judge.
Boasberg had initially prevented the Trump administration from deporting five Venezuelans accused of gang affiliation. Although Trump referred to the Alien Enemies Act, a law from the 18th century, as justification for his actions, the federal government disregarded Boasberg’s order to temporarily suspend deportation flights, leading to a contentious hearing on Monday between the judge and DOJ lawyers.
“That’s quite a stretch, I believe,” Boasberg remarked regarding the government’s failure to obey his orders mandating that deportation flights return to the U.S.
In response to Trump’s impeachment comments, Chief Justice John Roberts issued an unusual statement on Tuesday, denouncing efforts to impeach judges based on rulings that displease a president. He cautioned that publicly targeting individual judges for their decisions poses a risk to the judicial system and the rule of law.
An inquiry sent to Boasberg’s chambers for comment on Trump’s impeachment call did not receive an immediate response.
Like many federal judges in Washington, Boasberg dealt with numerous January 6 cases, often handing down lighter sentences than those sought by DOJ prosecutors. He, for example, sentenced a Jan. 6 rioter who brought a Confederate flag and wore an “I ❤️ TRUMP” beanie to 2.5 years in prison, which was a full decade less than the prosecution’s recommendation.
Throughout his tenure, Boasberg has also challenged the falsehoods that fueled the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
In a trial where a January 6 rioter represented himself after attacking law enforcement, Boasberg stated that he believed that politicians who falsely claimed the election was rigged should feel “ashamed,” remarking that the defendant should have exhibited “greater discernment” regarding the misinformation he was receiving.
“You’re too intelligent to have fallen for the election lies,” Boasberg advised the defendant.
In another ruling, Boasberg suggested that claims of election theft were likely false and that possessing an honest belief in such claims does not excuse poor conduct.
“Our society chooses its leaders at the ballot box, not through mob action,” he said.
Boasberg also presided over the case involving Trump supporter Ray Epps, who was embroiled in a baseless right-wing conspiracy theory claiming he was an FBI informant. Despite the government seeking a six-month prison term for Epps, Boasberg ultimately granted probation, stating Epps had been “vilified in a manner unique to January 6 defendants” and noting the significant repercussions he faced in his life. He remarked that Epps was the only January 6 defendant “who suffered for what you didn’t do.”
Additionally, Boasberg managed the federal grand jury investigation concerning Donald Trump, the most notorious January 6 defendant.
In March 2023, Boasberg heard closed-door discussions from Trump’s and former Vice President Mike Pence’s legal teams regarding Pence’s potential testimony in the special counsel investigation led by Jack Smith. Boasberg mandated that Pence testify, leading to Pence’s appearance before the federal grand jury in April 2023.
Known as Jeb, Boasberg is a Washington, D.C. native who graduated with a history degree from Yale, where he played forward on the basketball team. At 6-foot-6, his impressive stature extended into the courtroom, where he was a litigator in San Francisco before returning to Washington in the mid-1990s, focusing on homicide cases in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
During Boasberg’s investiture ceremony as a federal judge, he was seated next to Brett Kavanaugh, a close friend and housemate during their time at Yale Law School, who at that point was a federal appeals judge in the D.C. Circuit. Kavanaugh oversaw the ceremony, and seven years later, Trump would nominate him to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.
“I genuinely believe that Jeb Boasberg is one of the finest district judges in the nation, surely among the best in D.C.,” stated another attorney from a prominent Washington firm who knows Boasberg personally. “He’s a thoughtful, balanced judge. He’s not extreme in any direction.”
In 2016, Boasberg mandated the federal government to assess the release of 14,900 emails and attachments belonging to Hillary Clinton, Trump’s rival during the presidential campaign, pertaining to her use of a private email server while serving as Secretary of State. During Trump’s initial term, Boasberg ruled in favor of the president when he refused to compel the IRS to release his personal tax records.
Over his career, Boasberg has cultivated a reputation as a just judge who enjoys incorporating pop culture references into his written opinions.
In a ruling related to January 6, Boasberg addressed a lawsuit against a Trump aide, noting, “Plaintiff may dispute this conclusion, but as Dr. Spock from Star Trek famously said, ‘Resistance is futile.’”
In a 2022 decision where Boasberg dismissed a DOJ lawsuit compelling Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn to register as a foreign agent for the Chinese government, he quoted the Fugees: “Ready or not, here I come, you can’t hide.”
Additionally, he participated in a mock trial of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in 2018, supervised by Justice Kennedy and produced by the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington.
Despite the surrounding controversies, his career in Washington has continued to thrive. In 2020, Roberts appointed him as the presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which is responsible for approving surveillance warrants.
In 2023, he ascended to the role of chief judge of the District Court in Washington. Prior to this appointment, he had faced criticism from Trump’s associates for what they perceived as overly lenient sentencing of an FBI lawyer involved in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Beryl Howell, Boasberg’s predecessor as chief judge, expressed confidence in his ability to endure public scrutiny in a statement made to The New York Times in 2023.
“Judge Boasberg possesses the necessary experience on the bench, legal acumen, and capacity to handle multiple cases concurrently, making him exceptionally well-equipped to serve as the next chief judge,” Howell stated.
A lawyer who has known Boasberg both personally and professionally for years and wished to remain anonymous due to concerns over backlash asserted that his judgments reflect his integrity.
“He is not a partisan in any sense,” the attorney remarked. “He will uphold the law as he believes it demands, without bias.”
“Some individuals are destined for particular roles,” the lawyer concluded. “He was meant to be a judge.”
