U.S. District Judge James Boasberg is facing an ethics complaint accusing him of political bias against President Donald Trump and his administration, The Daily Caller reported.
Boasberg, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, is alleged to have authorized politically motivated subpoenas targeting Republican senators and Trump allies.
Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed that Boasberg approved a nondisclosure order in 2023 that prevented nearly a dozen GOP members of Congress from learning their cellphone records had been obtained by President Joe Biden’s Justice Department.
The ethics complaint, filed by the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) and obtained by the outlet, stated, “Judge Boasberg enabled certain facets of what may be one of the biggest scandals in the history of the country.”
The complaint continued, “Weaponizing the DOJ to surveil political opposition not only violates the rights of the subjects of the investigation but also those of the American people, who were unable to know the facts of the investigation due to its secrecy.”
The complaint was sent Friday to Spencer Hallet, court executive for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed lawmakers’ phone records as part of the Arctic Frost investigation. The subpoenas requested call and message records from Jan. 4-7, 2021.
CASA Director James Fitzpatrick told the outlet that Boasberg’s approval of Smith’s order may be a “constitutional violation.” The organization describes itself as a “nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the safety of the American people.”
“Boasberg should be immediately investigated and, if found to have violated judicial canons, must be disciplined to maintain the integrity and independence of the federal judiciary,” Fitzpatrick said.
Boasberg has been the subject of multiple ethical inquiries in recent weeks and has faced allegations of anti-Trump bias.
Earlier in the week, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, filed articles of impeachment against Boasberg, accusing him of “failing to appreciate basic statute” and contributing to “legal inquiries that violate the law.”
In a memo obtained by The Federalist, Boasberg reportedly told Chief Justice John Roberts during a March Judicial Conference meeting that he and other judges feared “the [Trump] Administration would disregard rulings of federal courts, leading to a constitutional crisis.”
The outlet noted that this statement disregarded the legal “presumption of regularity,” which assumes public officials properly discharge their duties.
Days after that conference, Boasberg blocked the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, a measure invoked to expedite the deportation of Venezuelan gang members from the Tren de Aragua organization.
The Supreme Court later overturned that ruling in a 5-4 decision.
The revelations, according to the outlet, underscore what critics describe as a pattern of bias by Boasberg and other district court judges in Washington, D.C., against the Trump administration.
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