A federal appeals court has blocked U.S. District Judge James Boasberg from pursuing a contempt inquiry into the Trump administration's deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in March 2025. In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded that Boasberg's investigation would constitute an improper intrusion into executive branch decisions on national security and diplomacy.
The majority opinion, authored by Judges Neomi Rao and Justin Walker—both Trump appointees—stated that the contempt proceedings were a "clear abuse of discretion." The court argued that Boasberg's order lacked the clarity necessary to support criminal contempt charges and that further judicial investigation was unnecessary. Judge J. Michelle Childs, a Biden appointee, dissented, arguing that the inquiry was justified to understand the events surrounding the deportations.
The dispute stems from the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport over 200 Venezuelans accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang. Boasberg had issued an oral order to turn the planes around, but the administration proceeded with the deportations. The migrants were later released and returned to Venezuela as part of a prisoner swap.
The Trump administration had previously accused Boasberg of bias and harassment, while the judge maintained that the government acted in bad faith. This is the second time the appeals court has halted Boasberg's investigation, having ruled last year that he abused his authority in pursuing contempt proceedings.