Appeals Court Probes Whether Judge Boasberg Exceeded His Authority

A federal appeals court has halted U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s pursuit of potential contempt for the Trump administration and signaled it would look into whether the judge was overstepping his authority in attempting to investigate the executive branch. In an unsigned order on Dec. 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit requested a briefing on the legal basis for district courts, such as Boasberg’s, to investigate grounds for contempt. The order was issued on the same day as a now-canceled hearing Boasberg had scheduled for testimony about how administration officials handled his orders blocking deportations earlier this year....