Appeals Court Removes Boasberg’s Contempt Order in Trump Admin Deportations Case

Judge Neomi Rao said that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg had engaged in an ‘egregious’ abuse of his power.

District Judge James Boasberg, chief judge of the District Court for the District of Columbia, stands for a portrait at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington on March 16, 2023. Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via AP

An appeals court has removed an order that could have resulted in the Trump administration being found in contempt as part of a tense confrontation between it and U.S. District Judge James Boasberg.

Boasberg had said earlier this year that he found probable cause to hold the administration in contempt because it purportedly violated his orders to halt deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.