Two federal trial court judges who’ve drawn conservative ire for their decisions against the Trump administration declined to testify at a Senate hearing next week.
US District Judge James “Jeb” Boasberg in Washington and US District Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland turned down an invitation to appear at a Dec. 3 Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on impeaching “rogue” judges, according to an aide for Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), the top Democrat on the panel. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) leads the subcommittee, which focuses on federal courts.
It would be unusual for a sitting judge to testify in a subcommittee hearing, other than on court funding. Still, the refusal to appear is likely to fan GOP outrage over the Democratically appointed judges and rulings they’ve issued during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Boasberg, a Barack Obama appointee, has launched contempt proceedings over the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to send Venezuelans to a prison in El Salvador. The judge had barred the removals the same day administration officials put more than 100 Venezuelans on a plane in March.
Boardman, a Joe Biden appointee, earlier this year ruled against the administration’s effort to restrict birthright citizenship. She also drew criticism for her sentencing of the individual who arrived outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home with plans to attack him.
Trump administration officials and Republicans on Capitol Hill have repeatedly derided such decisions as the result of liberal judges on the bench.
Law360 first reported on the judges declining the invitations.
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