House GOP moves swiftly to impeach judge targeted by Trump
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Rep. Brandon Gill speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 23. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Just hours after President Trump called for the impeachment of a federal judge who ruled against his deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans over the weekend, House Republicans introduced a measure to do just that.
Why it matters: GOP lawmakers have unleashed an unprecedented flood of long-shot impeachment articles aimed at federal judges who are standing in the way of the president's agenda.
- James Boasberg, chief judge of the D.C. District Court, is at least the fifth federal judge who is facing a House GOP impeachment attempt after issuing a ruling unfavorable to the administration.
- Trump's comments on Tuesday targeting Boasburg spurred a rare public rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
Driving the news: Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) said Tuesday he is introducing articles of impeachment against Boasberg, arguing he "overstepped his authority, compromised the impartiality of the judiciary, and created a constitutional crisis."
- Boasberg had ordered flights deporting roughly 250 alleged Venezuelan gang members halted Saturday as he ruled on the constitutionality of Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1789, a war measure rarely invoked in peacetime.
- The administration said it defied Boasberg's order because the flights were already over international waters, Axios' Marc Caputo reported.
- Trump, in a Truth Social post Tuesday morning, said of Boasberg: "This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges' I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!"
Zoom in: Gill's four-page impeachment resolution charges Boasberg with abuse of power, arguing that he "did knowingly and willfully use his judicial position to advance political gain."
- It argues that the Alien Enemies Act gives the president "sole and unreviewable discretion" to determine whether an "invasion has taken place" — and thus whether its powerful emergency provisions can be exercised.
- Gill's measure is co-sponsored by Reps. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Mike Collins (R-Ga.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.).
- Republicans have also moved to impeach federal judges Paul Engelmayer, John McConnell Jr., John Bates and Amir Hatem Mahdy Ali.
The other side: "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision," Roberts said in a statement on Tuesday.
- "The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose."
