On Wednesday, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) voiced concerns on the social media platform X about the repeated selection of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to oversee several prominent cases involving President Donald Trump. He implied that this recurring pattern might indicate possible bias in the judicial system.
Schmitt wrote, “Judge James Boasberg has somehow been assigned FOUR major Trump cases. A statistical impossibility. That isn’t ‘random.’ It’s rigged.”
Judge Boasberg, who currently serves as chief justice of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, has overseen multiple major legal matters linked to Trump. One such case involves a senior official’s use of Signal, an encrypted messaging application, to discuss classified military actions.
Another significant case involves legal challenges to Trump’s application of the Alien Enemies Act to facilitate the deportation of individuals identified as dangerous criminal aliens.
In March 2025, Judge Boasberg instructed Trump administration officials to preserve Signal messages exchanged between March 11 and 15, specifically those related to military operations in Yemen. This directive followed rising concerns over possible breaches of federal record-keeping regulations due to Signal’s auto-delete function.
The judge’s frequent involvement in Trump-related cases has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), along with Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Chip Roy (R-TX), addressed a letter to the Clerk of the Court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In the letter, they questioned the integrity of the case assignment process and the potential for judicial partiality.
A user on X weighed in on the situation, saying, “This judge needs to be disbarred…he is using his power as a judge wrong and this cannot stand!!!”
Another suggested that Schmitt use his political power and influence as a senator to take action against the judge and fix the situation.
The court has reiterated that case assignments occur through a random process, despite claims that Boasberg’s frequent involvement in Trump-related litigation indicates the system is “rigged.” This controversy underscores the broader conflict between members of Congress and the judiciary and emphasizes the need for both fairness and openness within the legal system.
