(The Daily Signal)—Prominent Republicans in Congress are calling for the impeachment of Democrat-appointed judges, amid a slew of injunctions against President Donald Trump’s executive actions.
The conservative outcry began when Judge James Boasberg, a 2011 appointee of then-President Barack Obama to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, issued a restraining order against Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1789 to deport alleged Tren de Aragua gang members.
The ruling did not take effect, as the immigrants were outside of U.S. airspace before the judge’s written order was delivered and they were extradited to El Salvador.
“I’ll be filing Articles of Impeachment against activist judge James Boasberg this week,” wrote Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, on X in response to a New York Post article covering Boasberg’s restraining order against the deportations.
I’ll be filing Articles of Impeachment against activist judge James Boasberg this week. pic.twitter.com/kh4vfooS2A
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) March 16, 2025
The House’s impeachment process, which is vaguely defined the Constitution, is the first step in removing a public official for “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
The House of Representatives can pass such a motion with a simple majority, before it goes to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required to remove the official from office.
The last judge to be impeached by Congress was G. Thomas Porteous Jr., a Louisiana district judge who was removed from office in 2010 for “accepting bribes and making false statements under penalty of perjury.”
Gill’s post received applause from hard-line conservatives on X.
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., said, “A federal judge is trying to force the President of the United States to KEEP foreign terrorists in America. Think about that. Let’s impeach the activist judge. @RepBrandonGill is drafting.”
In a written statement given to The Daily Signal, Crane expanded on his remarks, saying, “These rogue judges were suspiciously quiet when Joe Biden allowed millions of illegals to invade America, yet Judge Boasberg immediately tried to block President Trump from deporting dangerous criminals. I applaud Rep. Brandon Gill for taking action against another corrupt pawn of the establishment.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, joined in the chorus of Republican voices against Boasberg’s injunction, saying, “Another day, another judge unilaterally deciding policy for the whole country. This time to benefit foreign gang members. If the Supreme Court or Congress doesn’t fix, we’re headed towards a constitutional crisis. Senate Judiciary [Committee] taking action.
ICYMI: I have filed articles of impeachment for two of the activist judges stonewalling President Trump. John Bates and Amir Hatem Mahdy Ali, both of whom were appointed by Democrats and sit on the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C.
It’s time to hold them accountable.… pic.twitter.com/STpOqsJ25J
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) March 17, 2025
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., filed articles of impeachment against two other federal judges who had attempted to overrule Trump’s cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“It’s time to hold them accountable. Let’s get it done,” he wrote on X Monday.
