CRIMINAL CONTEMPT?! Judge Finds Probable Cause vs. Trump Admin for Defying Deportation Order

Forget strongly worded dissents; we're entering potential prosecution territory now. Today, Wednesday, April 16th, 2025, a federal judge didn't just slap the Trump administration on the wrist – he found probable cause to hold administration officials in criminal contempt of court. This extraordinary finding stems directly from the administration's actions surrounding those controversial deportation flights to El Salvador last month.

U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg, overseeing the case in Washington D.C., issued a blistering ruling stating the administration appeared to show "willful disregard" for his direct court orders attempting to halt those specific deportations carried out under the archaic 1798 Alien Enemies Act.

Remember that chaos back in March? Judge Boasberg issued orders trying to stop planes already in the air carrying deportees to El Salvador, where President Bukele had agreed to imprison them in his notorious facilities. Despite the judge's intervention, the planes landed, and Bukele infamously tweeted "Oopsie... too late" over an article about the judge's order.

Now, Judge Boasberg is saying the administration's actions (or inactions) in letting those flights proceed might not just have been incompetent or chaotic – they might have been criminally contemptuous. In his ruling, Boasberg didn't mince words, writing, "The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders — especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it." He even suggested the government appeared to have "defied the Court's order deliberately and gleefully," possibly referencing Bukele's mocking tweet, which administration officials reportedly amplified.

So, what does "probable cause for criminal contempt" actually mean? It means the judge believes there's enough evidence to suggest a crime (willfully disobeying a lawful court order) may have been committed by administration officials. This isn't just a procedural slap; it opens the door to serious consequences. Judge Boasberg warned he could hold further hearings and potentially refer the matter for prosecution. And if Trump's own Justice Department refuses to prosecute (which seems likely), Boasberg indicated he could appoint another attorney specifically for that purpose.

The administration, predictably, said it would appeal and has argued it didn't technically violate the judge's written order or that the planes were beyond recall. But Judge Boasberg wasn't buying it, stating that even if his original order had a legal flaw (as the Supreme Court later found regarding the Alien Enemies Act application itself, while still saying the deportees needed hearings first), that "does not excuse the Government's violation" of his direct command at the time.

This ruling represents a dramatic escalation in the ongoing battle between the Trump administration and the judiciary over executive power, immigration policy, and the rule of law. It's one thing for judges to block policies; it's another entirely for a judge to find probable cause for criminal behavior by administration officials acting in their official capacity.

This comes just days after the same administration, in a meeting with El Salvador's President Bukele, appeared to openly defy a different court order (from the Supreme Court, no less) regarding the return of another wrongly deported man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The pattern of defiance seems clear, but this finding of potential criminal contempt raises the stakes immensely.

Will administration officials actually face prosecution? Will this ruling force any change in behavior? Or will it be appealed and tied up in legal knots? Regardless of the outcome, the fact that a top federal judge felt compelled to make such a finding is a stunning indictment and a truly significant Daily Dose of WTF.

Sources:

• AP News. "Judge finds cause to hold Trump administration in criminal contempt for violating deportation order." April 16, 2025.

• PBS NewsHour. "April 16, 2025 – PBS News Hour full episode." (Segment: "Challenge to Trump deportations morphs into a battle over executive and judicial power"). April 16, 2025.