A constitutional crisis is intensifying in Washington as the Trump administration and federal judiciary engage in an unprecedented standoff over deportation flights, with Chief Justice John Roberts taking the rare step of publicly defending judicial independence.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a strongly worded order Thursday calling the administration's response to his inquiries about deportation flights 'woefully insufficient' [1,3]. The judge demanded explanations for why planes carrying over 200 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador were not turned around despite his verbal order last weekend.

The Department of Justice maintains they did not violate the court's order, arguing the planes were already in international airspace when the written order was issued [7]. However, they have yet to provide specific flight timing details requested by the court.

President Trump escalated tensions by calling for Judge Boasberg's impeachment and demanding the Supreme Court intervene. 'Judge James Boasberg is doing everything in his power to usurp the Power of the Presidency,' Trump posted on Truth Social [1].

In a rare public statement, Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked calls for judicial impeachment: 'For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision' [3].

The conflict centers on the Trump administration's invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. While officials claim all deportees had gang affiliations, attorneys for at least one deportee dispute this characterization [6].

Judge Boasberg has given the administration until Friday morning to provide a sworn declaration from a cabinet-level official about potential state secrets claims, and until Tuesday to explain why they did not comply with his original order [7].

House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated Republicans are reviewing 'all available options' to address what they view as judicial activism [13], though legal experts note that no federal judge has ever been impeached solely for their rulings [10].