Overview
- The D.C. Circuit, in a 2-1 decision Tuesday, ordered Chief Judge James Boasberg to terminate his criminal contempt probe.
- The majority said his March 2025 temporary restraining order was not clear enough to support criminal contempt.
- The court warned the inquiry would intrude on high-level executive deliberations tied to national security and diplomacy.
- Judge J. Michelle Childs dissented, arguing the ruling undercuts courts’ power to enforce their orders through contempt.
- The case stems from March 15, 2025 flights that sent Venezuelan men to El Salvador under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, and lawyers for the migrants say they may seek en banc or Supreme Court review.