Dear MoveOn member,
This week, President Donald Trump asserted that a federal judge should be impeached for blocking the administration from doing something it wants to do, even if it's deemed unconstitutional.1 That’s right: Trump considers it an impeachable offense for judges to do their job and respect the law and the Constitution. This is a classic authoritarian move—to make any opposition to your agenda punishable.
And here’s what is even more dangerous: Republicans in Congress are providing an avenue to actually make it happen. Hours after Trump's statement, Congressman Brandon Gill of Texas introduced articles of impeachment against Judge Boasberg, calling for him to be removed from office.2 A number of other Republicans have since voiced their support.
Trump is working every angle to squash dissent against his extreme agenda—whether it be student protesters, independent reporters, judges, or political opponents. His aim is to instill fear against all opposition and punish those who take action against him to make them a lesson for the rest of us. But we will not back down.
Trump's tantrum came in response to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg's blocking his use of the 1798 Wartime Act to deport dozens of Venezuelan migrants to be detained in El Salvador.3 First, Trump and his administration defied those court orders, setting a dangerous precedent. Then, Trump declared it an impeachable offense for any federal judge to rule against him.
Shortly after Trump’s statement, Chief Justice John Roberts shockingly weighed in, saying "For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision. The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose."4
Elon Musk—the unelected billionaire who is pursuing an agenda of chaos and destruction with our federal programs and workers—has also been calling for the removal of judges who would stand in his way.5 Trump and Musk know that judges are a critical check on their power, and their solution is to either remove them or bully them into submission.
Checks and balances are a foundational principle in our country to ensure no one person assumes too much power. But Trump is working to throw them out the window in order to ram through his agenda of hollowing out the government so that he and his billionaire backers can accumulate unprecedented wealth and power. All while cutting Social Security, public schools, Medicaid, regulations that keep our air and water clean, research to find cures for cancer and other deadly diseases, and so much more.
Thanks for all you do.
–Kelsey, Justin, David, Julia, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Federal judge targeted by Trump for impeachment is a bipartisan appointee with a three-decade career in Washington," NBC News, March 19, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/203418?t=7&akid=429545%2E40999114%2EoezeA9
2. "House GOP moves swiftly to impeach judge targeted by Trump," Axios, March 18, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/203419?t=9&akid=429545%2E40999114%2EoezeA9
3. Ibid.
4. "Roberts rejects Trump’s call for impeaching judge who ruled against his deportation plans," AP News, March 18, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/203420?t=11&akid=429545%2E40999114%2EoezeA9
5. "Judges threatened with impeachment, bombs for ruling against Trump agenda," NPR, March 14, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/203421?t=13&akid=429545%2E40999114%2EoezeA9
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