On January 21st, during a press conference, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, expressed his support for impeaching two federal judges who have obstructed the President’s agenda. One of the judges has made unfavorable judgements against President Trump in several high-profile cases.
Speaker Johnson was questioned during the press conference about the impeachment of Columbia District Federal Judge James Boasberg and Maryland Federal Judge Deborah Boardman by some Republican members. Johnson stated, “I support this action. Boasberg is one of the judges mentioned, and these are extreme abuses of power.”
Johnson, who has a background in constitutional law and previously served on the House Judiciary Committee responsible for reviewing all impeachment articles, emphasized the need for accountability for judges exceeding their authority. He mentioned that impeachment is an extreme measure but necessary in extraordinary times to set a precedent against severe abuses of power.
However, the Speaker did not commit to submitting such cases for deliberation by the full House.
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was among the GOP members calling for the impeachment of Boasberg and Boardman. He urged the House to promptly move forward with impeaching the judges based on outstanding articles presented on January 7th.
Cruz presided over a hearing titled “Impeachment: Holding Rogue Judges Accountable” on January 7th as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights. The hearing explicitly pointed out the judges’ violations of their constitutional duties.
Cruz criticized Boasberg for issuing a secrecy order preventing telecom companies from revealing subpoenas issued by former special counsel Jack Smith under the “Arctic Frost” investigation, which shifted to a probe targeting former President Trump after his reelection. The investigation was later withdrawn.
Documents revealed that nearly 200 secret subpoenas were issued during the “Arctic Frost” investigation, including requests for communication records of hundreds of GOP members and organizations, including eight federal senators.
In March 2025, Congressman Brandon Gill from Texas filed impeachment articles against Boasberg for ruling against Trump’s deportation of some illegal immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act.
Gill also brought another impeachment resolution in November 2025 regarding Boasberg’s decisions in the “Arctic Frost” case.
Regarding Judge Boardman, Cruz questioned her sentencing in the Sophie Roske case, where she sentenced Roske to only 8 years for a nationwide plot to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, significantly lower than the prosecution’s request of at least 30 years. Boardman referenced a Trump administration order during the sentencing, mandating that transgender women (biological males transitioning to females) must be detained in male prisons.
In October 2025, Congressman Chip Roy from Texas presented a resolution accusing Boardman of deliberately and systematically disregarding the law in the Roske case’s sentencing and calling for her impeachment.
These actions against the judges have gained support from several lawmakers, demonstrating a growing concern over judicial overreach and misconduct.