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D.C. Circuit weighs whether Judge Boasberg can pursue contempt probe over deportation flights

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (60%).

5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard arguments on Sept. 29 over whether U.S. District Judge James Boasberg may continue a criminal-contempt inquiry into Trump administration officials involved in March 2025 deportation flights to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act. Boasberg had ordered flights carrying Venezuelan men turned around; officials did not comply. The Trump administration says then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the final call to proceed. A three-judge panel had previously halted the inquiry 2-1, but the full court agreed to rehear the case. Justice Department lawyers argue the investigation is unlawful and that assessing officials’ intent is a prosecutor’s job, not a judge’s. Several judges on the full panel appeared open to letting the inquiry proceed.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The D.C. Circuit heard full-court (en banc) arguments on Sept. 29 over whether Boasberg can continue his contempt inquiry.

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. Boasberg had ordered deportation flights to El Salvador turned around in March 2025, and officials did not comply.

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. The Trump administration has identified then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as the official who approved proceeding with the flights.

    Reported byRight

  4. A three-judge panel previously ruled 2-1 to halt the inquiry before the full court agreed to rehear it.

    Reported byLeft

  5. Justice Department attorney Brett Shumate argued that probing officials' intent is a prosecutorial function, not a judicial one.

    Reported byLeft

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. More than 100 men were deported to the CECOT supermax prison in El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.

    Reported byLeft

  2. Judges on the full appellate court appeared to signal support for allowing the contempt inquiry to proceed.

    Reported byLeft

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether the D.C. Circuit's arguments signaled support for allowing Boasberg's inquiry to continue.

    The Washington Post and HuffPost report the court appeared ready or signaled support for letting the inquiry proceed; the Epoch Times and Washington Examiner describe the outcome as still being weighed without characterizing the court's lean.

  • Whether Boasberg's contempt inquiry is lawful.

    Justice Department lawyers, as quoted by the Washington Examiner and HuffPost, call the inquiry 'unlawful' and outside judicial authority; Boasberg and the plaintiffs' side maintain the inquiry is a valid response to non-compliance with his order.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Both left outlets frame the hearing as the appeals court leaning toward allowing Boasberg's inquiry to proceed, with HuffPost emphasizing the administration's attempt to avoid accountability.

    Trump’s DOJ Gets Hammered Over Deportation Flights, Contempt Probe May Resume
    MeidasTouchFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    2 outlets

    Both right outlets frame the story around whether the appeals court will halt or allow Boasberg's inquiry, emphasizing the judge's adversarial history with the administration and the DOJ's legal objections.

    DC Circuit grapples with allowing Boasberg to continue contempt inquiry into Trump officials
    Washington ExaminerRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left1

    may not be able to wriggle away from contempt proceedings

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right1

    a thorn in the Trump administration’s side

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    a thorn in the Trump administration’s sideMore neutral: has issued several rulings against the administration

    Characterizes the judge's rulings as an adversarial irritant rather than describing them neutrally as legal decisions

    …Boasberg, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, has been a thorn in the Trump administration’s side by issuing multiple adverse rulings against the president.

    Used byWashington Examiner (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    may not be able to wriggle away from contempt proceedingsMore neutral: may not succeed in halting contempt proceedings

    Suggests the administration is evasively trying to escape accountability rather than neutrally describing its legal request

    The Trump administration may not be able to wriggle away from contempt proceedings as quickly as it hoped.

    Used byHuffPost (Far Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • court appearing to favor letting the inquiry continue
  • officials' alleged defiance of Boasberg's order
  • details of the deportation flights and CECOT prison

Leaves out

  • DOJ's characterization of the inquiry as 'unlawful'
  • Kristi Noem's specific role in approving the flights

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • MeidasTouchFar Left

    Trump’s DOJ Gets Hammered Over Deportation Flights, Contempt Probe May Resume

    Eleven D.C. Circuit judges pressed the administration’s lawyer over who ordered protected detainees flown to El Salvador after Judge James Boasberg told the planes to turn around.

    Read at MeidasTouch (opens in a new tab)
  • HuffPostFar Left

    Appeals Court Appears Ready To Let Judge Investigate Trump Officials Who Defied His Order

    The Trump administration Loaded verb“may not be able to wriggle away from contempt proceedings”Suggests the administration is evasively trying to escape accountability rather than neutrally describing its legal requestMore neutral: may not succeed in halting contempt proceedingsDisagree with this highlight? as quickly as it hoped.

    Read at HuffPost (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington PostLeft

    Appeals court signals support for contempt inquiry on deportation flights

    Judge James E. Boasberg started the inquiry after Trump officials did not abide by his orders in 2025 to turn back planes carrying Venezuelan migrants.

    Read at The Washington Post (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • DOJ's argument that the inquiry is unlawful
  • Boasberg's history of rulings against the administration
  • procedural history including the panel's prior 2-1 halt

Leaves out

  • Justice Department attorney's specific argument that assessing officials' 'mental state' is not a court's role
  • the court's apparent leaning during arguments

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    DC Circuit grapples with allowing Boasberg to continue contempt inquiry into Trump officials

    A federal appeals court weighed on Tuesday whether to allow U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to move forward with a criminal contempt inquiry into Trump administration officials over last year’s deportations of Venezuelans to El Salvador, as Justice Department lawyers allege …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)
  • The Epoch TimesFar Right

    Appeals Court Weighs Bid to Stop Contempt Probe of Deportation Flights

    The DOJ is asking the D.C. Circuit to halt Judge James Boasberg’s inquiry into March 2025 Alien Enemies Act removals to El Salvador.

    Read at The Epoch Times (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    1 hr 39 min later

    Its first report, Sep 29, 7:21 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    The Epoch Times, Sep 29, 5:43 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Epoch TimesFar RightSep 29, 5:43 PM EDT
  2. Washington ExaminerRightSep 29, 6:13 PM EDT
  3. The Washington PostLeftSep 29, 7:21 PM EDT
  4. HuffPostFar LeftSep 29, 7:22 PM EDT
  5. MeidasTouchFar LeftSep 30, 5:55 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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