Impeaching James E. Boasberg, United States District Court Chief Judge for the District of Columbia, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Gill of Texas (for himself, Mr. Crane, Mr. Collins, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This resolution seeks to impeach Chief Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It accuses him of abusing his judicial power by blocking President Trump's efforts to deport members of Tren de Aragua, a designated foreign terrorist organization. The resolution alleges the judge violated the separation of powers by overriding the President's authority under the Alien Enemies Act.
Who Benefits and How
The Executive Branch and immigration enforcement agencies (ICE, CBP, DHS) would benefit if this impeachment succeeds or creates a chilling effect on judicial review. They would face less judicial oversight when implementing immigration enforcement actions, particularly deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. The resolution signals congressional support for executive immigration authority with minimal court interference.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal judges, particularly those handling immigration cases, face increased political pressure and risk of impeachment for issuing rulings that block executive immigration actions. Immigration attorneys and advocacy groups lose an effective tool for protecting their clients' due process rights, as judges may be deterred from issuing stays or injunctions. Aliens facing deportation, especially those accused of associations with terrorist organizations, would have reduced access to judicial review of their cases.
Key Provisions
- Charges Chief Judge Boasberg with "high crimes and misdemeanors" for allegedly preventing President Trump from removing members of Tren de Aragua from the United States
- Accuses the judge of requiring deportation planes to turn around mid-flight, characterizing this as "seizing power from the Executive Branch"
- Invokes the Supreme Court case Ludecke v. Watkins to argue that courts have no authority to review Presidential determinations under the Alien Enemies Act
- Claims the judge violated his oath of office and duty of impartiality by making a "political decision outside the scope of his judicial duties"
- Calls for the judge's removal from office for creating a "constitutional crisis" and jeopardizing national safety
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Impeaches Chief Judge James E. Boasberg for high crimes and misdemeanors, specifically for allegedly abusing judicial power by blocking the President's removal of aliens associated with Tren de Aragua.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Use impeachment power to challenge judicial decisions deemed to interfere with executive immigration enforcement, asserting separation of powers principles"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Executive Branch (President Trump administration)
- Immigration enforcement agencies
- Members of Congress supporting executive immigration authority
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal judiciary (specifically Chief Judge Boasberg)
- Judicial independence
- Aliens subject to removal proceedings
- Immigration advocates
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_house"
- → House of Representatives
- "the_senate"
- → United States Senate
- "chief_judge"
- → Chief Judge James E. Boasberg, United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- "the_president"
- → President of the United States (referenced as President Trump in context)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A designated Foreign Terrorist Organization whose members the President sought to remove from the United States
Federal statute granting the President sole and unreviewable discretion to determine whether an invasion has taken place and to remove aliens accordingly
Constitutional standard for impeachment of civil officers including federal judges
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology