President Donald Trump speaks before Pam Bondi is sworn in as U.S. Attorney General in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 5, 2025 as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, right, looks on. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
The ruling comes months after Boasberg originally found grounds to move on potential contempt proceedings in the case.
It comes as Boasberg has also ordered ongoing status updates on the location and custodial status of the 252 CECOT class migrants, after they were deported last month from El Salvador to Venezuela as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Venezuela.
It is unclear how many of those migrants had pending asylum applications in the U.S. or had been granted a "withholding of removal" order blocking their return to their country of origin.
The long-awaited ruling comes months after Boasberg ruled that the court had found probable cause to move on criminal contempt proceedings after he issued a late-night temporary restraining order on March 15 blocking the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to summarily deport certain migrants to El Salvador.
Boasberg had also ordered all migrants to be "immediately returned" to U.S. soil, which did not happen.
Despite the order, hundreds of migrants were deported to the Salvadorian prison, CECOT, in March, where they remained until late last month, when they were sent from the prison in El Salvador to Venezuela, as part of the prisoner exchange.
Boasbeg ruled in April that there was "probable cause" to move on criminal contempt proceedings against the Trump administration for failing to return the planes to U.S. soil and said the court had determined that the Trump administration demonstrated a "willful disregard" for his order.
The appeals court granted the Trump administration’s request for an emergency stay of the ruling months earlier, prompting questions as to why they did not move more quickly on the motion.
APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN'S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT
James Boasberg, incoming chief judge of the U.S. District Court, in Washington, D.C., on Monday, March 13, 2023. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty)
Still, the decision is almost certain to be appealed either to the full circuit court to be heard en banc, or directly to the Supreme Court for review.
The Trump administration for months has sparred with judges who have blocked the president’s executive orders from taking force.
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Boasberg, in particular, has emerged as one of Trump's biggest public foes. Last month, the court attempted to have him removed from overseeing the case and have it reassigned to another case — a long-shot effort that legal experts and former judges suggested is unlikely to go far.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-appeals-court-blocks-boasberg-contempt-proceedings-against-trump-admin