A federal appeals court voted 2-1 Friday to throw out a controversial anti-Trump judge’s contempt finding regarding his court order that the Trump Administration turn airplanes around and return illegal aliens on their way to El Salvador back to the U.S.
In March, Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, one of a number of activist, rogue judges that House Republicans are working to impeach, ruled that the Trump Administration did not have the authority to deport more than two hundred illegal alien gang members and ordered the planes carrying the gang members to turn around and bring them back to the U.S.
The planes, which were already over international air space, did not do so, sparking outrage from Boasberg and Congressional Democrats, prompting the judge’s contempt claim. The D.C. Circuit halted the contempt proceedings as it considered the administration’s appeal, which resulted in Friday’s ruling.
While Judge Boasberg’s order mandating that the illegal alien gang members be returned to the U.S. was ultimately invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court, the judge had continued to pursue contempt charges.
On Friday, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia voted to toss Judge Boasberg’s effort to punish President Donald Trump for contempt of court.
“The district court’s order exceeds the contempt power and intrudes on the powers of the Executive Branch,” wrote Judge Neomi Rao regarding his Friday vote to throw out Boasberg’s contempt charge.
“The best thing to do is to point out some of the most rogue, reckless of the judges, like Boasberg, and abolish those positions,” Constitutional Scholar and best-selling Author Mark Levin said at the time.