Judicial tyrant just got smacked down — and the constitution won

Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

There are few things more satisfying in modern American politics than watching a robe-clad tyrant get smacked down by the very Constitution he pretends to interpret. Today was one of those days. Judge James Boasberg, an Obama appointee who decided somewhere along the way that his black robe made him commander-in-chief, just got handed a legal spanking by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. In a 2–1 ruling, the panel shredded his attempt to haul Trump administration officials into criminal contempt over deportation flights to El Salvador. That contempt gambit is now dead, buried, and marked with a granite headstone that reads: “Here Lies Judicial Overreach.”

The facts are straightforward. Back in March, Boasberg issued an order halting certain deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, a law that dates back to John Adams. The administration believed it had legal clearance to proceed, particularly when those flights were tied to gang-related detainees and coordinated foreign agreements. Planes took off anyway. Boasberg, rather than reassessing whether his order was enforceable or even lawful in this context, went nuclear: probable cause for criminal contempt. Not a stern lecture. Not a civil contempt to coerce compliance. Criminal contempt — aimed squarely at sitting executive branch officials — for carrying out core immigration and foreign-policy functions. It was the kind of move you’d expect from a banana-republic magistrate, not the chief judge of America’s most important district court.

The D.C. Circuit wasn’t having it. Judges Greg Katsas and Neomi Rao formed the majority, making it clear that the contempt standard requires a “clear and unambiguous” order and proof beyond a reasonable doubt of willful violation — and Boasberg’s edict flunked that test. The panel also underscored what any first-year law student should know: deportation policy intertwined with foreign affairs lives in the executive branch, not in the chambers of an unelected trial judge. Judge Cornelia Pillard dissented, fretting about the erosion of judicial power, but her concern only confirmed what this was all about — a turf war dressed up as legal principle. You can read the straight news of it from Reuters or AP, but the subtext is crystal clear: the judiciary just got told to sit down and stay in its lane.

This isn’t just a victory for Trump or for any one administration. It’s a win for the separation of powers, for the idea that we don’t let one branch use its most coercive weapon to control the others. Contempt of court exists to enforce the rule of law, not to let judges dictate policy from the bench or retaliate against political decisions they dislike. And let’s be blunt — this wasn’t about law, it was about ego. Boasberg wanted to make an example of the administration, to send a signal that his word was supreme. The appellate court just reminded him, and every other robe-wearing autocrat, that supremacy belongs to the Constitution, not to them.

In an age where activist judges think they can block executive orders with a pen and a personal Twitter account, this ruling is a shot across the bow. It tells the judiciary: you are not the President, you are not the State Department, and you are not the Commander-in-Chief. You are one branch of government, and when you start playing policy king, you’re going to get knocked off the throne. Today, the D.C. Circuit didn’t just reverse a contempt finding — it reasserted the very architecture of American government. And for that, every citizen, whether they love or loathe Donald Trump, should be grateful.

So yes, Judge Boasberg, you wanted a headline. You got one — but it’s not the one you imagined. Instead of “Trump Officials Found in Contempt,” the banner now reads: “Appeals Court Smacks Down Judicial Overreach.” The robe doesn’t make you royal, and the gavel isn’t a scepter. The law you tried to twist just snapped back in your face. That’s not just justice served — that’s the sound of the republic reminding its judges: you work for us.

Maureen Steele is co-founder of the American Made Foundation is an organization that connects influential leaders and grassroots movements to drive real change.

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