Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is currently embroiled in controversy for blocking President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on March 15, 2025. Trump invoked this 18th-century law to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, along with immigrants from Nicaragua, Haiti, and Cuba, citing their threat to national security as a “predatory incursion.” Acting within his constitutional authority under an executive order, Trump sought to protect American citizens by deporting these individuals. However, Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) hours later, declaring the act unconstitutional without a declared war and halting the deportations, including ordering flights to return mid-air. This decision obstructs Trump’s lawful immigration policies and prioritizes the rights of these individuals over public safety, intensifying opposition to Boasberg’s judicial actions.
The backlash against Boasberg’s ruling has prompted Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) to file articles of impeachment on March 16, 2025, citing Boasberg’s obstruction of Trump’s policies as an abuse of judicial power. Supported by figures like Elon Musk, who called the action “necessary,” this move addresses Boasberg’s pattern of bias against Trump. However, impeachment alone is insufficient. Boasberg’s extensive history of decisions reveals a consistent pattern of corruption and complicity in maintaining a compromised D.C. court system, necessitating criminal charges to ensure full accountability.
Boasberg’s tenure as chief judge and former presiding judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) from 2020 to 2021 demonstrates a pattern of shielding corruption within the D.C. establishment. His alliance with Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner, evidenced by Warner’s introduction during Boasberg’s 2002 nomination, suggests favoritism toward powerful Democrats, eroding public trust. Boasberg supported the FBI’s illegal surveillance practices, as seen in his 2018 and 2020 rulings finding abuses in NSA database queries but failing to impose meaningful consequences, allowing continued violations of Americans’ constitutional rights.
His handling of the Carter Page FISA scandal in 2021 further illustrates this corruption. Boasberg sentenced FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith to probation and community service for falsifying evidence in the FISA application used to surveil Trump campaign associate Carter Page, a decision lenient despite the fraud’s impact on the court. Similarly, Boasberg appointed former DOJ-National Security Division head Mary McCord as an amicus curiae advisor to the FISA court, despite her role in submitting the fraudulent application, raising questions of complicity and conflict of interest.
Boasberg’s decisions in January 6 cases, such as sentencing Ray Epps, a figure implicated in the Capitol riot, to probation for disorderly conduct, reflect leniency that protects government actors over justice. His actions in Trump-related cases, including observing Trump’s 2023 court appearance for the classified documents case and forcing Vice President Mike Pence to testify before a D.C. grand jury in 2023, disregarding executive privilege, set dangerous precedents that undermine constitutional governance and national security.
Boasberg’s wife, Elizabeth "Liddy" Leslie Manson, a tech executive and co-founder of Meadow Reproductive Health and Wellness, a Virginia abortion clinic launched in 2023 after Roe v. Wade was overturned, is a significant Democrat donor, contributing over $10,000 to Democratic causes. Her clinic provides abortion care and other reproductive services, aligning with progressive agendas opposing Trump’s policies. While her activities do not directly relate to immigration law, her political leanings and role in a polarizing issue like abortion amplify public distrust in Boasberg’s impartiality, particularly in cases involving Trump.
Boasberg’s recent ruling against Trump’s lawful use of the Alien Enemies Act is the latest in a decades-long pattern of corruption and judicial activism. His decisions shielding illegal surveillance, lenient sentencing of fraudsters and riot participants, and breaking executive privilege demonstrate a judge prioritizing a corrupt D.C. establishment over the Constitution and American safety. Rep. Brandon Gill’s impeachment effort is a necessary step, but criminal charges are imperative to hold Boasberg accountable for his corrosive influence on the judiciary, restoring trust in the legal system.
