April 16, 2025: He Found Probable Cause for Criminal Contempt.

DOCUMENTED

“The Court ultimately determines that the Government’s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt.” James E. Boasberg, Memorandum Opinion, J.G.G. v. Trump, No. 25-766 (JEB), ECF 81, April 16, 2025

The opinion is on the docket: Document 81, filed April 16, 2025. CourtListener hosts the RECAP PDF. He wrote that a later Supreme Court determination that the TRO “suffered from a legal defect” does not, in his view, excuse an alleged violation while the order was in effect.

Probable cause in a district-court memorandum is not a jury verdict. It is not a referral that produced a public indictment located for this page. It is his finding at an early stage. The D.C. Circuit later granted mandamus and directed him to terminate the criminal contempt proceedings. See the April 14, 2026, post.

Fox News, Politico, and NPR reported the opinion the day it issued. Those pieces are reporting. The primary is ECF 81.

Sources

Boasberg, J. Memorandum Opinion, ECF 81, April 16, 2025. CourtListener RECAP

Courthouse News copy of the same opinion. courthousenews.com

D.C. Circuit. In re Donald J. Trump, No. 25-5452 (April 14, 2026) (later termination). cadc.uscourts.gov

NPR (reporting). April 16, 2025. npr.org

Opinion

The following is commentary by this site. It is not a finding of fact and not a legal conclusion.

Compiler take

He found probable cause after the Supreme Court had already vacated the TROs. Then he kept digging. The court of appeals finally said stop. Probable cause on a paper that higher courts dismantled is not the last word. It is the tell.