The Trump administration is appealing efforts by two judges to investigate whether government officials defied their rulings over the deportation of migrants to El Salvador, escalating a confrontation between the executive and judicial branches.
On Wednesday night, the DOJ said it would appeal U.S. District Judge James Boasberg's finding that administration officials could face criminal contempt charges for disregarding his order to return alleged members of a Venezuelan gang who were deported to El Salvador. Also late on Wednesday, government lawyers asked an appeals court to stop U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis from ordering U.S. officials to provide documents and answer questions under oath about what they had done to secure the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a migrant who was wrongly deported to El Salvador. In both cases, the Trump administration has denied it violated court orders and accused judges of overstepping their authority.
The Trump administration faces more than 200 legal challenges to its policies. Democrats and some legal analysts say officials in some cases are dragging their feet in complying with unfavorable court orders, signaling a potential willingness to disobey an independent, coequal branch of government. Administration officials have responded with blunt criticism of Boasberg and Xinis, both of whom were appointed by President Barack Obama.
