Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked President Donald Trump after he called for the impeachment of a federal judge overseeing a deportation case involving suspected Venezuelan gang members.
"For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision," Roberts said. "The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose."
The rebuke came just hours after President Trump harshly criticized U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg.
"This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!" Trump said on Truth Social. "WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY."
Boasberg on Monday scolded government attorneys, accusing the administration of carrying out deportations in defiance of his temporary order blocking them.
The Trump administration argued that planes were already in the air when the ruling was issued and that officials complied with less specific written instructions.
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“I’m just asking how you think my equitable powers do not attach to a plane that has departed the U.S., even if it’s in international airspace,” Boasberg pressed a government attorney.
Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli declined to answer directly, citing national security concerns.
“These are sensitive, operational tasks of national security,” Kambli said.
Boasberg ordered the government to clarify by noon Tuesday the time it believed his orders went into effect.
Impeaching a federal judge is extremely rare and requires action by both chambers of Congress. The House can vote to impeach a judge, but conviction and removal require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate.
