Sen. Schmidt Urges Impeachment of Judge Boasberg
On Tuesday, Senator Eric Schmidt (R-Missouri) urged House Republicans to pursue impeachment against District Judge James Boasberg. This call comes after a federal appeals court directed Boasberg to end a criminal contempt investigation concerning officials from the Trump administration.
A ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals revealed that the court viewed Boasberg’s attempts to impose contempt charges against former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, along with other officials, as an “abuse of discretion.” The court deemed the investigation as “intrusive” and a “legal impasse,” particularly related to the deportation of numerous Torren de Aragua gang members to El Salvador back in March.
Schmidt remarked, “The D.C. Circuit has determined that Mr. Boasberg’s investigation was an ‘improper investigation’ and represented a ‘clear abuse of discretion.’” He went further, stating, “He tried to jail Trump officials for deporting Venezuelan gang members. I therefore call on the House to impeach rogue Judge Boasberg.”
Impeaching a federal judge follows the same process as that for a president. Typically, the House would start an impeachment inquiry led by the House Judiciary Committee, which would then draft and vote on articles of impeachment. If those articles are approved by the House, the Senate would then conduct the impeachment trial, determining whether to convict or acquit the judge.
However, if Boasberg were impeached, it seems unlikely that the Senate would be able to achieve the two-thirds majority necessary for a conviction.
Separately, Schmidt claimed that Boasberg “forcefully accepted” a case last March related to Trump’s application of the Alien Enemies Act regarding the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants with suspected gang affiliations. This case arose shortly after a judicial conference where Boasberg allegedly attempted to sway Chief Justice Roberts and other federal judges by suggesting that the Trump administration might “ignore federal court decisions” and lead to a “constitutional crisis,” according to comments made by Chad Mizell, a senior Justice Department official.
President Trump had previously criticized Boasberg, labeling him a “grandstander” and a “very divisive” judge who was part of the “radical left.” In a post on Truth Social, he declared, “This judge…should be impeached!!!” back in March 2025.
As for the House Judiciary Committee, a spokesperson for Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had not responded to inquiries. Jordan previously indicated that “everything is on the table” regarding Boasberg’s potential impeachment, saying they would explore all options to remind justices that the president and Congress are independent but co-equal branches of government.
