Court finding. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, No. 25-5452, In re: Donald J. Trump, et al., decided April 14, 2026. The per curiam order grants the petition for a writ of mandamus, vacates the district court’s December 8, 2025, order, and directs the district court “to terminate its criminal contempt proceedings in this case.” The opinion for the court is by Circuit Judge Rao, joined in the judgment by Circuit Judge Walker (who filed a concurrence). Circuit Judge Childs dissented.
Rao wrote that criminal contempt is available only for violation of an order that is clear and specific, and that the March 15, 2025, TRO did not clearly and specifically bar transfer of the plaintiffs into Salvadoran custody. Walker’s concurrence distinguishes the oral command from the written order, which he described as prohibiting future removals and saying nothing about persons already removed. Childs warned that the majority decided the contempt question too soon and would weaken the district court’s contempt power.
The official opinion PDF is on the D.C. Circuit site. A matching order PDF is posted with the same date. Washington Examiner, April 14, 2026, and Just the News reported the mandamus. Those articles are reporting. The holding is Rao’s opinion.