Tensions flared during a House Oversight Committee hearing Tuesday as Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) reminded Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) of her past support for impeaching conservative Supreme Court justices—immediately after she delivered a passionate defense of judicial independence against alleged attacks from former President Donald Trump.
Crockett erupted during a debate on Rep. Brandon Gill’s (R-Texas) newly filed articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, accusing Republicans of threatening the rule of law by undermining judicial authority.
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“What it means to have law and order in this country is that you follow the order and you go through the appeals process even if you dislike what the judge did,” Crockett said. “If we continue down this road, we will not have a rule of law.”
But moments later, Issa seized the opportunity to expose what he characterized as blatant hypocrisy.
“When [Rep. Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez filed articles of impeachment on Justice Thomas and Justice Alito, Ms. Crockett was one of the co-sponsors,” Issa said, adding that Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.)—also on the committee—was another. “It does seem interesting that when the shoe is on the other foot, everyone is self-righteous.”
In July 2024, Ocasio-Cortez introduced articles of impeachment against Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, accusing them of failing to recuse themselves from major Supreme Court cases despite “widely documented financial and personal entanglements.” Crockett was one of 19 Democratic co-sponsors of the articles.
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Legal experts and conservative watchdog groups widely criticized the effort, saying it was politically motivated and lacked a foundation in legal precedent.
Rep. Gill’s articles of impeachment target Judge James Boasberg, who last month temporarily blocked Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport over 200 foreign nationals tied to MS-13 and Tren de Agua, a violent Venezuelan gang. The 18th-century law, invoked by Trump as part of his second-term immigration crackdown, allows for expedited deportations during wartime without due process in immigration court.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the judge’s ruling came after the deportation flights had left U.S. airspace, allowing the transfer to proceed uninterrupted. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later confirmed that 17 high-priority gang members were delivered to El Salvador in what he called a “successful counter-terrorism operation.”
Gill’s resolution accuses Boasberg of “abusing his judicial power” and “usurping President Trump’s clear plenary, Article II powers as commander in chief.”
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The hearing quickly transformed into a broader debate over the boundaries of judicial authority and congressional accountability. Republicans argue that left-leaning judges are obstructing Trump’s national security agenda, while Democrats decry what they see as a coordinated GOP effort to intimidate the judiciary.
“You can’t have it both ways,” Issa said. “If you support impeaching judges for perceived ethics violations, you can’t condemn others for seeking impeachment over abuse of power.”
The clash reflects the increasingly partisan nature of judicial politics, where even long-established norms about judicial independence and impeachment are being contested.
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