US appeals court blocks contempt case over Trump deportation flights

The Trump administration had faced a contempt probe over its decision to proceed with two deportation flights in March 2025.A United States federal appeals court has blocked a lower court judge from pursuing contempt proceedings against President Donald Trump’s administration over last year’s deportation of Venezuelan immigrants.In a two-to-one decision on Tuesday, an appeals panel in Washington, DC, halted plans from District Judge James Boasberg to hold hearings examining whether former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and others should face charges of criminal contempt.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump administration reaffirms plans to deport Abrego Garcia to Liberialist 2 of 3Legal groups condemn arrival of a dozen deportees from US to Ugandalist 3 of 3US appeals court throws out Trump contempt ruling over deportation flightsend of listThe majority ruled that Boasberg’s efforts amounted to a “clear abuse of discretion”.Boasberg had sought to determine whether officials violated his order on March 15, 2025, to turn around two deportation flights to El Salvador while they were already in the air.But Judge Neomi Rao wrote in Tuesday’s majority decision that Boasberg’s order did not explicitly prevent the Trump administration from transferring the immigrants into El Salvador’s custody.“The legal error at the heart of these criminal contempt proceedings demonstrates why further investigation by the district court is an abuse of discretion,” Rao wrote.“Criminal contempt is available only for the violation of an order that is clear and specific.”She added that Boasberg’s contempt inquiries were “intrusive” and risked revealing high-level deliberations on national security and diplomacy.The case centres on the March 2025 removal of 137 Venezuelan nationals, who the Trump administration accused of links to the Tren de Aragua gang.Tensions over deportation flightsThe group was deported to El Salvador under the rarely invoked Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law that grants presidents broad powers during wartime or invasion.