In a recent legal controversy, commentator Urbahn described the actions of Judge Boasberg as “desperate” and potentially motivated by embarrassment. From the beginning, Boasberg appeared intent on holding officials in contempt, despite shifting legal circumstances. Urbahn suggests that the judge may have expected support from Chief Justice John Roberts, especially after Roberts publicly urged critics not to attack the judiciary and allow legal processes to proceed without interference.
Urbahn speculated that Boasberg might have felt emboldened by Roberts’ prior warning to figures like Trump, interpreting it as a sign of institutional support. However, that support did not materialize. The Supreme Court ultimately overruled Boasberg’s order, stating the case should have been heard in Texas—not in Washington, D.C., where Boasberg presides. Despite this, Boasberg continued pressing the government to comply with his earlier directive.
Boasberg’s insistence raised questions. According to Urbahn, the judge argued that his order should have been obeyed before the Supreme Court intervened. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DoJ) maintained that Boasberg’s initial order was beyond his authority and legally invalid from the start, making any enforcement of it improper.
The judge’s rationale for contempt appeared weak, Urbahn noted, particularly since he acknowledged a possible “cure.” That remedy involves the government complying in a different jurisdiction—Texas—as the Supreme Court ordered. Essentially, Boasberg still wanted to enforce aspects of a vacated order, drawing criticism for overreaching.
Urbahn found this approach particularly unusual, especially since the Supreme Court had already determined the proper legal venue. The deported individuals in question, she said, could still challenge their removals through habeas petitions in Texas.
Ultimately, the situation reflects a tense legal standoff, with the judge pushing forward despite the Supreme Court’s clear ruling, giving the entire episode a sense of judicial overreach and urgency that, to some observers, “smacked of desperation.”
