US Justice Department's misconduct complaint against Judge Boasberg gets tossed

Source: Reuters

January 31, 2026 5:49 PM EST Updated 1 hour ago


Jan 31 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court judge has dismissed a judicial misconduct complaint by U.S. Justice Department against a judge who clashed with President Donald Trump's administration over its move to deport several Venezuelans to El Salvador.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi took the rare step in July of announcing the complaint against Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., alleging he made improper comments about Trump during a meeting of the judiciary's policymaking body, the Judicial Conference.

Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in a newly-released order, dated December 19 said the alleged statements, even if true, would not violate judicial ethics rules.

The Justice Department did not respond on Saturday to requests for comment. Boasberg, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, declined to comment.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-justice-departments-misconduct-complaint-against-judge-boasberg-gets-tossed-2026-01-31/