A Republican member of the House has introduced articles of impeachment against a federal judge who recently blocked staffers aligned with a government agency from accessing sensitive Treasury Department data. The move follows a temporary restraining order issued by the judge, which also required staffers to destroy any previously downloaded copies of the documents.
The decision sparked immediate backlash, with many allies of the president calling for the judge’s removal. In response, a resolution was introduced in the House accusing the judge of engaging in judicial misconduct and displaying clear bias against the president and his administration. The resolution, formally filed as House Resolution 143, was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
According to the resolution, the judge’s ruling was based on political motivations rather than legal reasoning. The first article of impeachment claims that the judge halted the executive order establishing and implementing a new government efficiency department on purely partisan grounds, disregarding legal precedent and demonstrating prejudice against the administration and its supporters.
The resolution further criticizes the judge for the timing of the ruling, arguing that issuing the injunction in the middle of the night was improper and may have been done to influence ongoing legal cases. The order was issued in response to an emergency request from multiple states, which argued that the new policy could lead to the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and increase cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The judge agreed with this assessment, concluding that the states would face irreparable harm without an injunction.
The second article of impeachment accuses the judge of abusing judicial power by allowing personal or political interests to interfere with the impartial application of the law. The resolution asserts that the handling of the case undermines fundamental principles of justice by demonstrating favoritism or undue influence.
The impeachment effort comes ahead of a similar resolution promised by another lawmaker, who indicated plans to file articles of impeachment by the end of the week. Both lawmakers involved in these efforts previously served in the military.
The administration responded by urging the court to reconsider the restraining order, arguing that it could be interpreted as restricting the authority of a Senate-confirmed Treasury official. The following day, a different federal judge, who was originally assigned the case, clarified that the order did not apply to confirmed Treasury officials, addressing concerns raised by the administration.
As of now, the impeachment resolution does not have any cosponsors.
