Trending Now - Trump's Legal Tactics Questioned as Judicial Challenges Grow

WHO:

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina

U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina

U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina

U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro

President Donald Trump

Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina

WHAT:

Judge Boasberg quashed two subpoenas issued by the Justice Department against the Federal Reserve Board.

Boasberg stated, "The Government has offered no evidence whatsoever that Powell committed any crime other than displeasing the President."

Pirro described Boasberg's ruling as "outrageous" and has pledged to appeal the decision.

Judge Boasberg stated, "A mountain of evidence suggests that the Government served these subpoenas on the Board to pressure its Chair into voting for lower interest rates or resigning."

Pirro described Boasberg's ruling as "outrageous" and has pledged to appeal the decision.

The Justice Department's investigation centers on Powell’s testimony regarding a $2.5 billion renovation project, which has faced cost overruns of approximately $600 million compared to a previous estimate of $1.9 billion.

Judge Boasberg stated, "The Government has offered no evidence whatsoever that Powell committed any crime other than displeasing the President."

Pirro described Boasberg's ruling as "outrageous" and has pledged to appeal the decision.

Judge Boasberg stated, "The Court must thus conclude that the asserted justifications for these subpoenas are mere pretexts."

Pirro described Boasberg's ruling as "outrageous" and has pledged to appeal the decision.

Judge Boasberg's ruling was dated March 11, 2026, and unsealed on March 13, 2026.

Pirro stated that the investigation is focused on "an atrocious cost overrun of $1 billion" and is investigating "possible fraud and false statements" by the Fed and Powell.

Judge Boasberg stated, "There is abundant evidence that the subpoenas’ dominant (if not sole) purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign and make way for a Fed Chair who will."

Pirro described Boasberg's ruling as "outrageous" and pledged to appeal.

Judge Boasberg blocked a pair of grand jury subpoenas issued by the Justice Department against the Federal Reserve Board.

The judge stated that the subpoenas were a "pretext" to pressure Powell into lowering interest rates or resigning.

Boasberg concluded that the government produced "essentially zero evidence" to suspect Powell of a crime.

The Justice Department plans to appeal the ruling.

WHERE:

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Federal Reserve's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

WHEN:

The ruling was dated March 11, 2026, and unsealed on March 13, 2026.

Powell's term as chair is set to expire on May 15, 2026.

The ruling was dated March 11, 2026, and unsealed on March 13, 2026.

Powell's term as chair is set to expire on May 15, 2026.

The ruling was dated March 11, 2026, and unsealed on March 13, 2026.

Powell's term as chair is set to expire on May 15, 2026.

The ruling was dated March 11, 2026, and unsealed on March 13, 2026.

Powell's term as chair is set to expire on May 15, 2026.

The ruling was dated March 11, 2026, and unsealed on March 13, 2026.

Powell's testimony to Congress regarding the $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed's headquarters occurred in June 2025.

Trump made critical social media posts about Powell on July 31, 2025, June 19, 2025, and August 1, 2025.

WHY:

Boasberg concluded that the subpoenas were issued for "the improper purpose of harassing and pressuring Powell to push the Fed to lower interest rates or to resign and make way for a more pliant Chair."

The investigation was perceived as politically motivated, with Boasberg concluding that the subpoenas were issued for "the improper purpose of harassing and pressuring Powell to push the Fed to lower interest rates or to resign."

The subpoenas were issued as part of a criminal inquiry into Powell's testimony about the Fed's renovation project.

The investigation was perceived as an attempt to retaliate against Powell for not aligning with Trump's interest rate policies.

HOW:

The Justice Department issued subpoenas to the Federal Reserve Board as part of a grand jury investigation.

The Justice Department's investigation was described as a response to Powell's testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June 2025, where he defended the renovation project against accusations of extravagance.

The Justice Department's investigation focused on Powell's testimony regarding a multi-billion-dollar renovation project at the Federal Reserve's headquarters.

The Justice Department issued subpoenas to the Federal Reserve Board as part of a grand jury investigation.

Boasberg's ruling cited Trump's social media posts as evidence of the improper motive behind the subpoenas.

(UPDATED March 14, 2026 17:05 UTC)

In a significant ruling, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg quashed two subpoenas issued by the Justice Department against the Federal Reserve Board, stating that the government provided no evidence of wrongdoing by Chair Jerome Powell, other than displeasing President Trump. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called the decision "outrageous" and announced plans to appeal, while Boasberg emphasized that the subpoenas were intended to harass Powell into lowering interest rates or resigning. This ruling, dated March 11 and unsealed last Monday, comes as Powell's term is set to expire on May 15.

(UPDATED March 14, 2026 13:18 UTC)

In a significant ruling dated March 11 and unsealed last Monday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg stated that a mountain of evidence suggests the government issued subpoenas to the Federal Reserve Board to pressure its Chair, Powell, into lowering interest rates or resigning. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called the ruling "outrageous" and has vowed to appeal, while the Justice Department's investigation focuses on Powell's testimony regarding a $2.5 billion renovation project that has seen cost overruns of about $600 million. With Powell's term as Chair set to expire on May 15, the judge concluded that the subpoenas were issued for the improper purpose of harassing and pressuring him.

(UPDATED March 14, 2026 05:20 UTC)

In a significant ruling dated March 11 and unsealed last Monday, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg stated that the government has provided no evidence that Powell committed any crime other than displeasing Trump. The Justice Department's investigation is focused on Powell's testimony regarding a $2.5 billion renovation project that has seen cost overruns of about $600 million, while U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called Boasberg's decision "outrageous" and plans to appeal. Boasberg also noted that the subpoenas were issued to harass Powell into pushing the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates or resign, with Powell's term set to expire on May 15.

(UPDATED March 14, 2026 03:42 UTC)

In a significant ruling dated March 11 and unsealed last Monday, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg stated that the subpoenas issued by the Justice Department were merely pretexts aimed at pressuring Federal Reserve Chair Powell. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called the decision "outrageous" and has vowed to appeal, as the investigation focuses on Powell's testimony related to a costly $2.5 billion renovation project that has seen overruns of about $600 million. Boasberg concluded that the subpoenas were intended to harass Powell into lowering interest rates or resigning before his term expires on May 15.

(UPDATED March 14, 2026 01:24 UTC)

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a ruling on March 11, 2026, which was unsealed last Monday, regarding the Justice Department's investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony about a $2.5 billion renovation project that has seen cost overruns of about $600 million. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro emphasized that the investigation is looking into potential fraud and false statements related to what she called an "atrocious cost overrun of $1 billion." Boasberg determined that the subpoenas were improperly aimed at pressuring Powell to lower interest rates or resign before his term expires on May 15, 2026.

(UPDATED March 13, 2026 23:05 UTC)

U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ruled on March 11 that there is significant evidence suggesting that subpoenas aimed at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell were intended to harass him into resigning or yielding to President Trump. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called the ruling "outrageous" and announced plans to appeal. The investigation, which centers on Powell's testimony about a multi-billion-dollar renovation project at the Federal Reserve's headquarters, has been criticized as politically motivated.

(UPDATED March 13, 2026 21:07 UTC)

In a significant ruling dated March 11 and unsealed today, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg blocked grand jury subpoenas issued by the Justice Department against the Federal Reserve Board, stating they were a "pretext" to pressure Chairman Jerome Powell. Boasberg concluded that the government had produced "essentially zero evidence" to suspect Powell of any wrongdoing, and he cited critical social media posts by Trump as evidence of improper motives behind the subpoenas. The Justice Department has announced plans to appeal this ruling, which stems from a criminal inquiry into Powell's testimony regarding a $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed's headquarters.