Judge Again Blocks DOJ Subpoenas in Powell Criminal Probe

Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for D.C. has denied a Justice Department bid to revive two grand jury subpoenas it served on the Federal Reserve as part of a criminal investigation into Chair Jerome Powell and the Fed’s building renovations. Boasberg had previously quashed the subpoenas as pretextual and unsupported by evidence of a crime, and in Friday’s order wrote that the government’s arguments for reconsideration "do not come close" to justifying a different result. The subpoenas, revealed by Powell in January, threatened a possible indictment tied to his June 2025 Senate Banking Committee testimony about years‑long office renovation projects and came after President Trump repeatedly attacked Powell for not slashing interest rates fast enough. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has appealed the original ruling and publicly blasted Boasberg as an "activist judge," underscoring how this fight has become another front in the administration’s broader clashes with independent institutions. The decision leaves the criminal investigation without access to the subpoenaed Federal Reserve materials for now and will be closely watched by markets and legal experts concerned about political pressure on the central bank and the abuse of criminal process to strong‑arm monetary policymakers.