Lawmaker files impeachment charges against D.C. judge

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, on Tuesday said he filed articles of impeachment against James Boasberg, chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, D.C. Gill accused Boasberg of weaponizing the judiciary against critics of former President Joe Biden’s administration. 

During the FBI’s Arctic Frost investigation under the Biden administration, Boasberg signed off on nondisclosure orders to keep secret the surveillance of U.S. senators, Gill said. The FBI’s current leadership recently said that at least eight Republican senators’ call logs were subpoenaed without their knowledge during the probe. That action violated the separation of powers and made Boasberg unfit for office, Gill said. The articles of impeachment accuse Boasberg of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Adopting the articles would require a House vote.

Boasberg, an Obama appointee, is known for ordering President Donald Trump’s administration to halt deportation flights under the Alien Enemies Act. Trump previously called for his impeachment back in March.

What’s the judicial impeachment process? The House of Representatives can impeach a judge by a simple majority vote. But two-thirds of the Senate must vote to actually remove a judge from office, which rarely happens, according to Constitutional Law Reporter.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the Arctic Frost surveillance operation against U.S. senators.