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Judge Expands Contempt Inquiry, Orders Top DOJ Lawyers to Testify on March Deportation Flights

The court seeks first‑hand accounts to determine whether officials willfully ignored a turnaround directive for planes deporting migrants to El Salvador.

Overview

  • D.C. District Judge James Boasberg set sworn testimony for former DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni on Dec. 15 and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign on Dec. 16.
  • Boasberg said it would be premature to refer Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for prosecution after calling her sworn declaration cursory.
  • Noem wrote that she allowed the flights to proceed after receiving privileged legal advice from DHS’s acting general counsel and senior Justice Department leadership.
  • Justice Department filings say Ensign conveyed Boasberg’s oral and written orders, and the government argues the planes were already outside U.S. territory and not covered by the written TRO.
  • Reuveni filed a whistleblower complaint alleging a DOJ official raised ignoring court orders; Boasberg’s contempt probe resumes after an appellate pause that followed his April probable-cause finding.