US President Donald Trump has called for the impeachment of Chief Judge James Boasberg, who leads the federal court in Washington, DC. The demand comes after Boasberg ordered deportation flights carrying suspected Venezuelan gang members to be turned back.

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What led to Trump’s outrage?

Trump’s administration had invoked an 18th-century law, used for the first time since World War II, to deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang. On Saturday, 261 Venezuelans, including suspected gang members, were deported. However, before the process could be completed, Boasberg’s court intervened and halted the deportations. By then, two planes carrying the migrants had already taken off.

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Who is Judge James Boasberg?

Judge James Boasberg came into the spotlight on Saturday after granting an emergency restraining order that blocked the Trump administration from invoking a 1798 law to deport Venezuelan nationals, including suspected gang members, for 14 days.

Boasberg ruled in favour of Democracy Forward and the ACLU, who had challenged the deportations. In his decision, he said the removals could cause "irreparable" harm. His order temporarily prevented Trump from using the Alien Enemies Act for deportations until a proper hearing could be conducted.

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“Given the exigent circumstances that [the court] has been made aware of this morning, it has determined that an immediate Order is warranted to maintain the status quo until a hearing can be set,” Boasberg said in his ruling.

This is not the first time Boasberg has clashed with Trump’s circle. He previously served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA Court), which approved surveillance of certain members of Trump’s 2016 campaign, a decision that drew criticism from Trump’s supporters.

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A judge with a long legal career

Boasberg was appointed as a federal judge in Washington, DC, nearly 15 years ago by President Barack Obama. In 2014, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts appointed him to serve a seven-year term on the FISA Court, where he reviewed surveillance requests from federal agencies. He later served as the presiding judge of the court from 2020 to 2021.

A graduate of Yale University, Oxford University, and Yale Law School, Boasberg began his career clerking for the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals before joining the Justice Department as a federal prosecutor in Washington, DC.

Until now, Boasberg had largely avoided high-profile conflicts with the Trump administration. However, his recent ruling has placed him at the centre of a major legal battle.

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What happens next?

Trump’s administration has already appealed the decision. While Boasberg’s order instructed that any deported individuals be "immediately" returned to the US, the ruling came too late to stop some migrants from reaching El Salvador. It is not clear if Boasberg can actually bring those who were deported back.

(With inputs from agencies)