SCOTUS Chief Justice Says Impeaching Judge ‘Not Appropriate’ After Trump Lashes Out

On Tuesday, President Trump said on Truth Social that US District Judge James Boasberg should be impeached for issuing a two-week halt to his efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens – calling Boasberg a “troublemaker and agitator.”

Trump’s call to remove Boasberg – the chief judge of the federal district court in Washington DC, marks the first time that he’s asked Congress to seek a judge’s removal. Trump also suggested that “many” of the judges who have ruled against him in other cases should be impeached as well.

Then, hours later, Chief Justice John Roberts pushed back – saying in a rare statement that it would be inappropriate to impeach a judge.

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose,” Roberts said Tuesday.

Of course, that would be up to Congress – wouldn’t it?

As TheLastRefuge notes on X, Roberts and Boasberg go way back…

“Yes, Roberts will protect Boasberg, because Boasberg -who Roberts appointed to be presiding judge of the FISC- has major leverage over Roberts. Boasberg has assembled his shields over years, and CTH has outlined every step. The brutally obvious began surfacing when Boasberg appointed *Mary McCord as amicus to the FISC.”

**ahem** Yes, Roberts will protect Boasberg, because Boasberg -who Roberts appointed to be presiding judge of the FISC- has major leverage over Roberts.

Boasberg has assembled his shields over years, and CTH has outlined every step. The brutally obvious began surfacing when… https://t.co/NdMc6VsUr0

— TheLastRefuge (@TheLastRefuge2) March 18, 2025

Law professor Jonathan Turley agrees with Roberts, however, writing on Sunday;

I have criticized Judge Boasberg, who was involved in the controversial FISA surveillance during the first Trump term and made a poor choice of the attorney tasked with investigating that matter. I also criticized him in prior treatment of pro-life litigants in a case reversed by the D.C. Circuit. However, he has also ruled against Trump critics).

The response for the Administration should be to seek an expedited appeal. The district court cannot drag out a TRO very long before issuing an order that can be appealed.

This country is facing novel issues and the Administration is not surprisingly trying to use novel means to address them. I expect that it will prevail in many of these initial fights while losing others. That is part of the process in a nation committed to the rule of law.

The Trump Administration can appeal and leave impeachment out of it.