Sixth Circuit Dismisses DOJ Complaint Against Judge Boasberg

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed a judicial misconduct complaint filed by the Department of Justice against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, ruling that the allegations lacked supporting evidence and did not violate judicial conduct standards.

Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton of the Sixth Circuit issued the dismissal on December 19, 2025, though the decision was not made public until this week. The complaint, submitted in July 2025, accused Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, of making improper remarks during a March 2025 meeting of the Judicial Conference of the United States. According to the filing, Boasberg warned Chief Justice John Roberts and other federal judges that the Trump administration planned to disregard federal court rulings, potentially leading to a constitutional crisis. The complaint, directed by Attorney General Pam Bondi and prepared with input from former senior Justice Department official Chad Mizelle, argued that such statements breached ethical guidelines by showing bias against the administration.

Sutton rejected the claims, stating in his order that the complaint provided no credible...