Supreme Court chief justice rebukes Trump over call to impeach judge in deportation case

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked President Donald Trump over calling for the impeachment of a federal judge who has issued orders blocking Trump’s plan to deport any extra alleged members of a Venezuelan gang from america.

“For greater than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment shouldn’t be an acceptable response to disagreement regarding a judicial determination,” Roberts mentioned in a press release on Trump’s demand.

“The traditional appellate overview course of exists for that function,” Roberts mentioned, a number of hours after Trump mentioned that Chief Judge James Boasberg needs to be impeached.

Trump in a Reality Social submit had written, “This judge, like most of the Crooked Judges’ I’m pressured to seem earlier than, needs to be IMPEACHED!!!”

The White Home didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Roberts’ assertion.

Boasberg is presiding over a lawsuit difficult the deportations, which the Trump administration argues are licensed below the wartime Alien Enemies Act.

The judge in a listening to Monday in Washington, D.C., federal courtroom, pressed a prime Division of Justice lawyer with questions on whether or not the Trump administration had violated Boasberg’s orders in the case. The DOJ lawyer refused to reply lots of these questions.

Later Monday, the DOJ requested the federal appeals courtroom in D.C. to take away Boasberg from the case, and individually requested Boasberg to vacate his orders.

On Tuesday, a prime U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official in a declaration filed in Boasberg’s courtroom revealed {that a} third aircraft carrying alleged gang members had departed america for El Salvador after 7:25 p.m. ET on Saturday, which was after Boasberg had issued an order barring their deportation.

“However all people on that third aircraft had Title 8 closing removing orders and thus weren’t eliminated solely on the idea of the Proclamation at concern” in the lawsuit, the declaration mentioned. “To keep away from any doubt, nobody on any flight departing america after 7:25 PM EDT on March 15, 2025, was eliminated solely on the idea of the Proclamation at concern.”

The submitting additionally mentioned that about 54 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang are in detention now, about 172 alleged members are on the non-detained docket, and about 32 are in prison custody with lively detainers in opposition to them.

“Ought to they be transferred to ICE custody, they are going to seemingly be positioned in removing continuing,” the submitting mentioned.

Trump in his Reality Social submit raged, “This Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, was not elected President.”

“He did not WIN the favored VOTE (by lots!), he did not WIN ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, he did not WIN 2,750 to 525 Counties,” Trump wrote, referring to his personal accomplishments of these benchmarks in the 2024 election. “HE DIDN’T WIN ANYTHING!”

Trump mentioned that he had received the presidential election “for a lot of causes” however recommended that preventing unlawful immigration “might have been the primary motive.”

“WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

Boasberg on Saturday issued two orders enjoining Trump from deporting aliens detained in immigration proceedings who’re allegedly related to the Tren de Aragua gang, which the U.S. has designated as a international terrorist group.

In a courtroom submitting Monday night time, the DOJ mentioned Boasberg “lacks jurisdiction as a result of the presidential actions they problem are usually not topic to judicial overview.”

The Justice Division in the identical submitting challenged Boasberg’s energy to order DOJ attorneys to produce details about the deportations of tons of of alleged Tren de Aragua members over the weekend to Central America.

At a listening to earlier Monday, a prime DOJ lawyer refused to reply Boasberg’s questions in regards to the deportations, citing nationwide safety issues.

The judge has given the DOJ till Tuesday afternoon to reply to questions on its actions, together with whether or not any deportation flight departed the U.S. on Saturday night time after he issued his order.

Critics of Trump’s deportation effort have questioned how his administration decided who’s a member of the gang.

In a declaration filed Monday with the courtroom, the appearing discipline workplace director of enforcement and removing operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wrote, “Company personnel fastidiously vetted every particular person alien to guarantee they have been in truth members of TdA.”

The appearing director, Robert Cerna, wrote that “It was vital to take away TdA members topic to the [deportation] Proclamation rapidly.”

“Retaining them in ICE custody the place they might doubtlessly proceed to recruit new TdA members posed a grave threat to ICE personnel; different, nonviolent detainees; and america as a complete,” Cerna mentioned.

“Holding tons of of members of a delegated International Terrorist Group, the place there may be a direct mechanism to take away them, can be irresponsible.”

“Whereas it’s true that most of the TdA members eliminated below the AEA would not have prison data in america, that’s as a result of they’ve solely been in america for a brief time period,” Cerna wrote.

“The shortage of a prison file doesn’t point out they pose a restricted menace. In truth, primarily based upon their affiliation with TdA, the shortage of particular details about every particular person truly highlights the danger they pose. It demonstrates that they’re terrorists with regard to whom we lack an entire profile.”