Judge Who Halted Trump Deportations Assigned to Lawsuit Over Leaked Pentagon Plans
A new lawsuit accusing top Trump administration officials of violating federal records laws over Pentagon plans has landed in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg: The same judge who previously blocked the administration’s deportation efforts.
The legal challenge, filing Wednesday by government watchdog group American Oversight, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other high-ranking officials for allegedly using a signal group chat to discuss classified military plans involving Houthi attacks. According to the lawsuit, those conversations may have violated the Federal Records Act by bypassing official archiving protocols.
Signal, a secure messaging app, includes features that allow messages to auto-delete —raising concerns that critical records could have been permanently lost. Among the officials named in the lawsuit are Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in addition to the National Archives and Records Administration.
“Federal officials are legally obligated to preserve communications related to government business,” American Oversight said in a statement. “Agencies typically require that messages sent through apps like Signal be forwarded to official systems or otherwise archived to comply with the law.”
The random assignment of the case to Judge Boasberg, who sits on the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., has ignited backlash from Republicans, who see the judge as politically biased.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) criticized what he called “rogue judges” like Boasberg and renewed his call for legislation to bar district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions —such as the one Boasberg used to halt to Trump-era deportations.
“These judges care more about kneecaping President Trump’s agenda than the upholding law,” Hawley told Family Us . “Congress can fix this.”
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) joined the chorus, calling on Boasberg to recuse himself from the case altogether.
“Judge Boasberg’s bias against President Trump is unmistakable,” Issa said. “It’s no coincidence this case ended up in his courtroom. While I don’t expect him to recuse himself, that would be the best course for preserving the court’s integrity.”
Former federal prosecutor and legal analyst Andrew Cherkasky also weighed in, calling the judge’s involvement “legally provocative” and warning that Boasberg’s role in the case could damage the D.C. District Court’s reputation “for generations to come.”
“With [Boasberg’s] prior rulings under review by the Circuit Court, it’s unwise to keep giving him high-profile Trump cases,” Cherkasky said.
The case marks yet another flashpoint in the ongoing legal and political battles surrounding Trump-era policies — and the officials who helped shape them.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepares to give a television interview outside the White House, on Friday, March 21, 2025.
Judge Who Halted Trump Deportations Assigned to Lawsuit Over Leaked Pentagon Plans
A new lawsuit accusing top Trump administration officials of violating federal records laws over Pentagon plans has landed in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg — The same judge who stopped yesterday Trump’s deportation efforts.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by government watchdog group American Oversight, alleges that Defense Secretary Pete Hegsth and other senior officials used a signal group chat to discuss classified Houthi attack plans, potentially infringing the Federal Records Act. The case has been random assigned to Boasberg, who serves on the D.C. District Court.
Signal’s auto-delete feature raises concerns that government records may have been illegally destroyed. Among the defendants are Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the National Archives and Records Administration.
“Federal officials are legally obligated to preserve communications related to government business.” American Oversight said. “Agencies must ensure that messages on apps like Signal are proper archived or forwarded to official systems.”
The assignment of the case to Boasberg has drawn swift condemnation from Trump allies, who accuse the judiciary of political bias.
“This is another example of judicial improper political advocacy,” former Trump attorney Alina Habba said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The judicial system must not be weaponized by any further to attempt to distract Americans from the amazing work of this administration and our commitment to our national security.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) echoed the criticism, denouncing “rogue judges” like Boasberg and promoting legislation to prohibit district judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.
“These judges care more about kneecaping President Trump’s agenda than the upholding law,” Hawley said. “Congress can fix this.”
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) called on Boasberg to recuse himself from the case, claiming the judge’s bias against Trump is “unmistakable.”
“It’s no coincidence this case ended up in his courtroom,” Issa said. While I don’t expect him to reseuse himself, that would be the best course preserved for the court’s integrity.”
Former federal prosecutor and legal analyst Andrew Cherkasky added that Boasberg’s involvement is “legally provocative” and risks undermining the credibility of the D.C. District Court.
“With [Boasberg’s] prior rulings under review by the Circuit Court, it’s unwise to keep giving him high-profile Trump cases,” he said.
As the case proceeds, it adds yet another layer of legal and political tension to the growing list of controversies surrounding the Trump administration’s handling of national security and federal transparency.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was included on a Signal groupchat involving information about military strikes in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the White House has rejected claims that the groupchat’s members used the app for “war planning,” as has been described by various media outlets.
