Judge who drew Trump’s ire has ‘a lot in common’ with his Supreme Court appointee: report
If President Donald Trump truly wants U.S. District Judge James Boasberg off the bench, he risks upsetting a pillar of the judicial establishment — particularly the conservative one.
The New York Times reported Monday on the extensive ties between Judge Boasberg and Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was Trump's second appointment to the nation's highest court during his first term. Both men are graduates of Yale University's law school, and both are deeply respected by longtime conservative voices in the legal world. 17 of Boasberg's former clerks have gone on to work for the Supreme Court, and five of those clerks worked for Republican-appointed justices. Boasberg and Kavanaugh were also roommates at 61 Lake Place in New Haven, Connecticut.
ALSO READ: 'Promoted our tormenter': MAGA fans vent disgust at Trump official's latest move
Trump has called for Boasberg's ouster after he ruled against him regarding the deportation of a Maryland resident to El Salvador, and Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) has already authored articles of impeachment against the judge first appointed to the Washington D.C. Superior Court by George W. Bush and elevated by Barack Obama. That man — Kilmar Abrego Garcia — had a court order in his favor specifically prohibiting him from being deported to El Salvador due to likely persecution from the current regime.
Tim Fitton, who is president of the conservative Judicial Watch organization, told the Times that Boasberg is a "personable" jurist who is "excellent on the bench."
"Some may view his opinions as conservative, and others may view them as liberal, but they’re all faithful applications of the law to the case before him," said former judge David Tatel, who was appointed to the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals by former President Bill Clinton.
Even stalwart Trump ally Mike Davis of the conservative Article III Project admitted that Boasberg — who he derisively referred to as a "political actor," has well-connected "buddies" in high places. Davis told the Times that he was "way out over his skis" in ruling against Trump, and that it was an open question about whether his friends would "protect him."
In addition to the deportation case, Boasberg is also presiding over another Trump-related case later this month. The veteran judge will be overseeing the case brought against several top national security officials within the Trump administration regarding their use of the Signal messaging app to discuss highly sensitive attack plans in Yemen last month.
Click here to read the Times' full report (subscription required).
Elon Musk attempted ‘intervention’ in major ‘break’ with signature Trump policy: report
As President Donald Trump moves ahead with his plan to impose sweeping tariffs on imported goods from the rest of the world, one typically vocal pro-Trump figure has remained largely absent from the cheerleading — tech billionaire Elon Musk, who, according to The Washington Post, has fruitlessly tried to lobby Trump against his scheme.
Musk, the de facto leader of the Department of Government Efficiency task force, has enthusiastically moved to lay off huge swathes of the civil service and suspend government agencies and programs across the board — but he and his businesses stand to lose billions from a shutdown of world trade.
"The attempted intervention, confirmed by two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks, has not brought success so far; Trump threatened Monday to add new 50 percent tariffs on imports from China to go along with the 34 percent taxes he announced last week," reported Elizabeth Dwoskin, Faiz Siddiqui, Pranshu Verma, and Trisha Thadani. And insofar as Musk has spoken publicly about this matter at all, noted the report, he "posted a video to X in which the late conservative economist Milton Friedman touted the benefits of international trade cooperation — 'the impersonal operation of prices,' as he put it — breaking down the sources of the materials that go into a simple wooden pencil."
ALSO READ: 'Promoted our tormenter': MAGA fans vent disgust at Trump official's latest move
"Musk’s break with Trump over a signature administration priority marks the most high-profile disagreement between the president and one of his key advisers, who poured nearly $290 million into backing him and other Republicans in last year’s elections and has been leading the U.S. DOGE Service’s cost-cutting efforts since January," noted the report. "Musk has also disagreed with other members of Trump’s coalition on issues such as H1-B visas for skilled immigrants and on DOGE’s approach to government spending," which led to a brief revolt against Musk by some longtime MAGA activists.
Trump's tariff plan imposes 10 to 49 percent import duties on goods from around the globe, including on uninhabited Antarctic islands that were singled out despite not having any trade or even people. The move has sent stocks into freefall and has economists concerned that America could slip into a recession within the year.
Meanwhile, Musk is more publicly taking aim at White House officials who are bolstering Trump's trade policies, said the report.
"Musk took aim at the administration official who has been key to developing the tariff plans, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, lighting into his credentials. 'A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing,' Musk wrote."
