Johnson changes tune on judicial impeachments after 'egregious abuses' of Trump agenda

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would back a push to impeach judges blocking President Donald Trump's agenda on Wednesday.

While it's never something Johnson explicitly ruled out, his support comes after House GOP leaders signaled opposition to such a move last year. At the time, leaders argued impeachment was not a practical punishment for what Republicans widely saw as activist judges trying to influence the administration's policy.

But he told reporters at his weekly press conference that while he believed impeachment is still an "extreme measure," that "extreme times call for extreme measures."

"I think some of these judges have gotten so far outside the bounds of where they're supposed to operate. It would not be, in my view, a bad thing for Congress to lay down the law," Johnson said.

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It comes as some Republicans in the Senate and House push for impeachments against U.S. District Judges James Boasberg and Deborah Boardman. 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called them both "rogue judges" earlier this month and said they "meet the constitutional standard for impeachment" during a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing.

"I'm for it," Johnson said when asked about the push. "Boasberg is one who's been mentioned, and these are some egregious abuses."

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Boasberg has been targeted by Republicans after rulings on several key immigration cases involving Trump's policies, including flying migrants to El Salvador and other countries instead of detaining them in the U.S.

He more recently raised GOP ire when it was revealed that Boasberg signed off on warrants that allowed for the seizure of some Republican lawmakers' phone records in former special counsel Jack Smith's Arctic Frost probe.

Cruz called for Boardman's impeachment over her sentencing decision for a man found guilty of charges related to trying to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The man's sentence of 97 months and a lifetime of supervised release fell far short of sentencing guidelines, according to Cruz.

While Johnson never explicitly ruled out impeachment, he told reporters last year that he believed it was an impractical course of action. 

At the time, House Republicans passed a bill by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., aimed at limiting judges' ability to issue nationwide injunctions — the path favored by a majority of House GOP lawmakers.

"Look, impeachments are never off the table if it's merited. But in our system — we've had 15 federal judges impeached in the entire history of the country — I mean, there may be some that I feel merit that, but you've got to get the votes for it. And it's a very high burden," Johnson said in May 2025.

"Frankly, the bar is high crimes and misdemeanors. I mean, the last federal judge impeached, I think was caught…taking cash in an envelope. You know, it's got to be a pretty brazen offense or a real open crime that everybody could agree to."