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- House Judiciary Committee is set to examine judges blocking President Donald Trump's agenda.
- Rep. Jim Jordan criticizes judges like Judge James Boasberg for political actions and plans hearings next week.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee is also exploring legislative solutions to limit nationwide injunctions by judges.
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing next week to examine the recent rulings of "activist judges" seeking to block President Donald Trump's agenda, a source familiar with plans confirmed to the Deseret News.
The committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will meet early next week, marking an escalation in the tense relationship between Trump allies and federal courts across the country who have issued rulings temporarily halting some of the president's most controversial executive orders. Jordan later confirmed the hearing, telling Fox News on Monday that some officials such as District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg have been "acting totally political" in their roles.
"We're going to have hearings on all of that because, particularly when you look at Judge Boasberg, it starts to look like this is getting totally political from this guy, particularly when you remember he's also the judge who was part of the whole Trump-Russia FISA court granting those warrants that allowed the Comey FBI to spy on President Trump's campaign," Jordan told Fox News's "America's Newsroom."
Jordan also pointed to a bill that recently advanced out of the Judiciary Committee that would limit district judges from being able to issue nationwide injunctions, which the chairman said he hopes is brought to the House floor for a vote next week.
The hearings come as a handful of House Republicans are pushing to impeach district judges across the country who have issued injunctions against Trump's executive orders, halting them from taking effect until they can be further examined.
Boasberg has been at the center of those efforts after he issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month seeking to redirect flights carrying deportees back to the United States until he could review Trump's justification for the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1789.
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, has since introduced articles of impeachment against Boasberg, making him one of nearly half a dozen judges being similarly targeted. It's not clear if House GOP leadership will move forward with such impeachment efforts, with one top leadership source telling the Deseret News they are focused on other issues such as Trump's tax reconciliation bill.
Even if the House did manage to approve impeachment articles, it would be up to the Senate to vote to remove the judges from office. That would require at least 67 senators — meaning at least 14 Democrats would need to join all Republicans in doing so.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has also been vocal about implementing restrictions for federal judges, telling the Deseret News last month he is drafting legislation that would require such injunctions to be issued by a three-judge panel rather than by a single judge.
Lee said he would file a bill on Monday to "make it impossible for a single federal judge, acting alone, to issue an injunction with nationwide applicability against President Trump and the Executive Branch."
The Judiciary Committee has not yet publicly announced a time for its hearing next week or who potential witnesses would be.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is also expected to begin similar hearings, according to Chairman Chuck Grassley's office.
"The recent surge of sweeping decisions by district judges merits serious scrutiny," Grassley, R-Iowa, spokesperson Clare Slattery told the Deseret News. "The Senate Judiciary Committee is exploring potential legislative solutions and will closely examine this topic in an upcoming hearing."
