A divided federal appeals court ruled on Friday that US District Court Judge James Boasberg can not transfer forward with criminal contempt proceedings against Trump administration officials concerned in a high-stakes immigration case.
The 2-1 ruling from the US DC Circuit Court of Appeals wipes away a ruling from Boasberg, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, that he had issued in April that stated “probable cause exists” to carry administration officials in criminal contempt for violating his orders in mid-March halting the usage of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members.
The appeals court had quickly put Boasberg’s plans on maintain whereas it weighed the federal government’s attraction of the ruling, and Friday’s ruling represents a big setback for the decide, who had vowed to carry accountable officials concerned in the matter.
The two judges siding with the Justice Department had been each appointed by President Donald Trump in his first time period. The dissenting decide was an Obama nominee.
NCS’s Katleyn Polantz contributed to this report.