James E. Boasberg

Rule Changes

Ruled Nov. 2 that the administration likely violated the Constitution by pressuring California over ballots; barred DOJ and DHS from making those demands.

A federal judge in Miami dismissed a criminal case against a noncitizen accused of illegally voting in 2020 and ruled that 18 U.S.C. § 611, the 1996 law making noncitizen voting a federal misdemeanor, is unconstitutional as applied to her. The Justice Department has appealed to the Eleventh Circuit.

Updated Yesterday

Force in Play

Overseeing the sealed search warrant records and the media request to unseal them

Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington home on Oct. 12, 22 days before the Nov. 3 midterms, as part of a criminal investigation into immigration paperwork her family filed decades ago. Omar said on Oct. 21 that she will move out of the apartment because the raid and the attention around it have made her feel unsafe.

Updated Oct 20

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Presiding over class action challenging AEA deportations

The Alien Enemies Act has been invoked only four times in American history—during the War of 1812, World War I, World War II, and now. In March 2025, President Trump became the first president to use the 1798 wartime statute outside of a declared war. He targeted alleged members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang and sent 137 men to El Salvador's maximum-security CECOT prison within 24 hours.

Updated May 27

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Presiding over jurisdictional dispute now on appeal

A hoodie-clad figure planted two pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican headquarters on the evening before the Capitol riot. Then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris came within 20 feet of one device. The bombs never exploded—a matter of luck, prosecutors say, not design. For nearly five years, the FBI's most intensive manhunt since 9/11 turned up nothing.

Updated May 18