Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, known for his frequent judicial clashes with President Donald Trump, has instituted a temporary requirement for court procedures to include notification when a grand jury decides not to approve an indictment.
This directive, issued earlier this month, comes in the wake of the Trump administration’s unsuccessful attempt to bring charges against six Democratic members of Congress. Trump and his supporters have labeled these members the “seditious six” due to their advice to U.S. service members to disregard illegal orders.
In his March 4 order, Boasberg stated, “This Court has examined the current practices regarding the submission of indictments and the notification process when a grand jury declines to indict.”
He further explained, “In the interest of consistency and transparency, and in accordance with its authority under Rule 57.14(b), this Court determines that notification should be given to the duty magistrate judge whenever a grand jury does not agree on an indictment, even if the defendant has already been charged.”
There has been a long-standing contentious relationship between U.S. Chief District Judge James Boasberg and President Donald Trump, spanning back to Trump’s candidacy and continuing into his presidency.
The order includes three specific directives:
“When a grand jury fails to concur in an indictment in a GJO [Grand Jury Original] investigation, the foreperson shall promptly and in writing report the lack of concurrence to the duty magistrate judge under seal;
“Notifications provided pursuant to this order shall be maintained in the confidential files of the Clerk’s Office and will not be made public absent order of the Court; and
“This order shall remain in effect for 120 days, during which time the Court will consider the adoption of a local rule requiring such notifications. See LCvR 1.1(b).”
Trump’s Justice Department had sought potential grand jury indictments of six Democrats in November — Reps. Jason Crow, D-Col.; Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ari.; and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. — for publicly calling for U.S. service members to reject unlawful orders.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth warned the video is urging military to violate the chain of command.
Trump called the political attack ad “seditious behavior,” calling for them to be “arrested and put on trial” for potential acts of treason, behavior “punishable by death.”
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro sought a federal grand jury indictment in February in D.C., a notoriously left-leaning district that can be expected to side against a sitting Republican administration, according to legal expert Alan Dershowitz.
Pirro fired back at Boasberg’s recent moves last Friday in a fiery news conference, including blocking a subpoena for Federal Reserve and Chairman Jerome Powell, who Trump had long rebuked as “too late” on lowering interest rates and has had massive cost overruns and delays on the $3 billion new Federal Reserve building.
Pirro blasted Boasberg as “an activist judge” and told reporters before walking out that she is getting rejected on grand jury indictments, but is only doing her job.
She said she is “willing to take a not guilty,” “willing to take a no true bill, because I’ll take all the crimes and put them in,” slamming the former Biden administration Justice Department for not seeking prosecutions for crimes at the rate she is now doing.
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, had introduced articles of impeachment for Boasberg for “abuse of power” in blocking the Trump administration from removing terrorists and ordered a plane with terrorists to return to the U.S. last year, and another for nondisclosure orders for the former Biden administration’s Artic Frost investigation of congressional Republicans.
In January, a Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, amendment to an appropriation bill failed in an effort to defund Boasberg and his staff amid allegations of weaponization.
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