US District Judge James Boasberg ruled Wednesday that “probable cause exists” to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for violating his orders in mid-March halting the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members.
The long-awaited decision on Wednesday from a judge President Donald Trump and his allies have repeatedly attacked puts the administration on the path toward being punished for thwarting court orders.
This undated photo provided by CASA, an immigrant advocacy organization, in April 2025, shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (CASA via AP)
The situation has been a major political and legal flashpoint for the Trump White House in its efforts to carry out a historic deportation campaign, especially in mid-March when it sent three planes of migrants to a prison in El Salvador. That same day, Boasberg held an emergency hearing and told the administration to pause the migrant removals and order the return of deportation flights back to the US.
“The Court ultimately determines that the Government’s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt,” Boasberg wrote in a 46-page ruling detailing his decision.
“The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions,” he added. “None of their responses has been satisfactory.”
CNN legal analyst Steve Vladeck said these moves are rare.
“Holding federal executive branch officials in criminal contempt is just about unheard of, once in a blue moon,” said Vladeck, a professor at the University of Georgetown School of Law. “Part of why Chief Judge Boasberg is moving cautiously is because he’s trying to walk a tightrope, not letting the government off the hook for its misbehavior, but also not provoking pushback from either the DC Circuit or the Supreme Court.”
Skye Perryman, an attorney with Democracy Forward, which, along with the ACLU, brought the case before Boasberg, said Wednesday’s ruling “affirms what we have long known: the government’s conduct in this case is unlawful and a threat to people and our constitution.”com/2025/04/16/politics/boasberg-contempt-deportation-flights/index.html
