Tensions were high inside a federal court Friday as attorneys for the Department of Justice continued to defend the Trump administration’s failure to comply with a court order to return deportation flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members, according to media reports.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg hammered DOJ attorneys at the court hearing Friday afternoon, who continued to insist that the Trump administration had the executive authority to move forward with flights under the Alien Enemies Act, CBS News justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane wrote on X.
"Did you not understand my statements in that hearing? Did you understand my orders to turn the plane around?” Boasberg asked in an exchange where he scolded government lawyers, who responded in the affirmative.
“Why was the proclamation signed in the dark?” the judge asked during his round of questioning, according to MacFarlane, who noted that Boasberg also questioned if it was signed secretly because the administration anticipated legal challenges.
ALSO READ: ‘I miss lynch mobs’: The secretary of retribution's followers are getting impatient
A government attorney responded that he had “no knowledge of the tactical decisions,” MacFarlane reported.
"The question is,” Boasberg concluded, “whether the government can summarily deport people without an individualized assessment of whether they fall under the proclamation?" "What happens if someone is not a member of (gang) or Venezuelan citizen.. how do they challenge their removal?”
The judge then delivered a lesson to the handful of DOJ attorneys who appeared on behalf of the government that he says they could learn from.
"I often tell my clerks before they go out in the world to practice law.. the most treasured valued item.. is reputation and credibility."
