WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, President Donald Trump intensified his ongoing disputes with the judiciary by calling for the impeachment of a federal judge who obstructed his deportation plans. This marks an escalation in the tensions between the executive branch and the courts, which have been significant checks on Trump’s administration.
Trump has criticized judges repeatedly, especially when they curtail his attempts to enhance presidential power and enforce his expansive policy agenda. The call for impeachment—a measure typically reserved for severe ethical or criminal misconduct—signals an intensifying conflict between these government branches. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump labeled U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, based in Washington, D.C., as an unelected “troublemaker and agitator.”
Judge Boasberg recently issued an order to halt deportation flights under an outdated law from the 18th century, which Trump had invoked to support his deportation strategy. “HE DIDN’T WIN ANYTHING! I WON FOR MANY REASONS, IN AN OVERWHELMING MANDATE, BUT FIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS HISTORIC VICTORY,” Trump expressed in his post. “I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!”
The rarely used Alien Enemies Act of 1798 has been cited only three times in American history during congressionally declared wars. Trump proclaimed its new relevance due to what he described as an invasion by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, arranging for El Salvador to detain alleged gang members.
Judge Boasberg, appointed by former President Barack Obama, held a hearing to address potential defiance of his order after deportation flights to El Salvador continued despite his demand for their return to the U.S. Lawyers from the Trump administration argued the judge’s written order was unclear, while an attorney for the ACLU warned of a looming constitutional crisis.
The U.S. Constitution grants the House of Representatives the authority to impeach a judge with a simple majority vote, with Republicans maintaining a slim majority. However, a two-thirds majority vote from the Senate would be necessary for removal, akin to presidential impeachment procedures.
Trump’s recent comments place him alongside allies like Elon Musk, who have argued similarly. According to Marin Levy, a Duke University law professor, “What we are seeing is an attempt by one branch of government to intimidate another branch from performing its constitutional duty. It is a direct threat to judicial independence.”
White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, mentioned just a day earlier, “I have not heard the president talk about impeaching judges.” Historically, only 15 judges have been impeached, and just eight have been removed. The most recent example was in 2010, with G. Thomas Porteous Jr. impeached for bribery and perjury.
With Trump’s extensive agenda encountering judicial resistance, more calls for judge impeachments have emerged. Two Congressional members have indicated plans to introduce impeachment articles against Boasberg. House Republicans have already filed similar articles against judges Amir Ali and Paul Engelmayer related to Trump-connected lawsuits.
