Boasberg Contempt Hearing for Noem Found on Appeal to Be ‘Abuse’

A federal appeals court blocked a judge from holding a hearing on whether former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and others were in contempt of court by deporting two planeloads of alleged Venezuelan gang members last year.

In a 2-1 decision Tuesday, a panel of judges in Washington halted the hearing from going forward, saying the effort by US District Judge James Boasberg was “a clear abuse of discretion.” Boasberg had attempted to hold the hearings in December before they were paused by the appeals court.