Chief Judge Dismisses Trump DOJ Misconduct Complaint Against Boasberg

Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has dismissed a Justice Department misconduct complaint against Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, which alleged he made improper, anti‑Trump comments at a March 2025 Judicial Conference while overseeing an Alien Enemies Act deportation case. The complaint, filed by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s DOJ last July, claimed Boasberg told Chief Justice John Roberts and other judges that President Trump would disregard court rulings and trigger a constitutional crisis, and argued those remarks undercut his impartiality after he restricted Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act for mass deportations. In a December 19 order now made public, Sutton said DOJ offered insufficient evidence and stressed that candid discussions among judges about executive‑branch compliance with court orders are a normal part of such conferences, not misconduct. Boasberg’s earlier order limiting removals under the statute has been a flashpoint, as DHS still flew more than 200 noncitizens to a notorious Salvadoran prison despite his restrictions, and his stalled contempt efforts against administration officials continue. The ruling effectively shuts down DOJ’s attempt to discipline Boasberg over the alleged remarks and reinforces internal judicial norms that protect judges’ ability to talk frankly about separation‑of‑powers concerns without facing partisan retaliation.