Legal AF (MeidasTouch) – Episode Summary

Title: Furious Judge Unleashes Hell on Trump in Final Order
Date: December 27, 2025
Host: Michael Popok (with attribution to Ben Meiselas & Karen Friedman Agnifilo)
Main Topic: Chief Judge Boasberg’s Ruling Lambasting the Trump Administration Over Secret Removal of Venezuelan Migrants

Episode Overview

This episode dives into an explosive ruling by Chief Judge Boasberg, who delivered a scathing final order against the Trump administration for the secret deportation of 250 Venezuelan men. The episode unpacks the legal drama, the underlying governmental misconduct, the role of whistleblowers, and what this precedent means for due process, the writ of habeas corpus, and the future of executive power over immigration enforcement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Boasberg’s Final Ruling Against the Trump Administration

[00:30-02:30]

• Michael Popok reacts to Chief Judge Boasberg’s newly issued order, noting its importance in drawing a line against executive overreach on mass deportations.
• Context: The Supreme Court had just restricted Trump's use of the National Guard for migrant crackdowns. Now Boasberg is pushing back on unlawful deportations.
• Main finding: The Trump administration violated due process and habeas corpus rights by secretly deporting 250 Venezuelans, labeling them as enemies under the Alien Enemies Act, and shipping them out during active legal hearings.
• Judge Boasberg ruled that even after removal to Venezuela/El Salvador, these individuals retain U.S. due process rights and ordered the government to remedy the deprivation.

2. Timeline & Secrecy: How the Government Evaded Judicial Oversight

[02:45-05:20]

• The government secretly designated these men as Trend Aragua members (while 90% had no real connection) and coordinated their removal before the public proclamation of the policy.
• The ACLU filed a last-minute action at 1:12 am after some detainees managed to alert their lawyers.
• Government executed secret flights during ongoing court hearings, deliberately evading judicial review.
• Judge Boasberg relied on a critical UN report confirming the U.S., not El Salvador, retained “constructive custody” over the deportees.

3. The Whistleblower Bombshell – Erez Reveni

[05:30-07:40]

• Erez Reveni, a veteran DOJ immigration litigator, blew the whistle in a formal complaint, revealing DOJ officials’ willingness to ignore court orders.
• Judge Boasberg cited Reveni’s testimony (and supporting media) directly, including the now-infamous directive from DOJ’s Amiel Bovey: “go tell judges like Judge Boasberg to go fuck off.”
• The order used this language to underscore the administration’s contempt for legal process.

Notable Quote:

“He made statements about the fact that he was told by a chief official now on the Third Circuit Court, Emil Bovey, that he should go tell judges like Judge Boasberg to go fuck off. That phrase is actually in this order.”
— Michael Popok [05:54]

4. On-the-Record Testimony: Disregard for Court Orders

[08:58-12:24]

• Excerpts played from a “60 Minutes” interview and a Senate hearing confirm Reveni’s claims.
  • Bovey explicitly prioritized “those planes need to take off no matter what” and suggested courts could be told to “fuck off” if they intervened.
  • Senator Adam Schiff grilled Bovey about his recollection of these statements, marking a rare public confrontation about executive contempt for judicial authority.

Notable Exchange:

Senator Schiff [11:15]:
“Wouldn't you recall, Mr. Bove, if you said or suggested during a meeting with Justice Department lawyers maybe they should consider telling the court ‘fuck you’?...”
Bovey:
“Well, I've certainly said things encouraging litigators at the department to fight hard...”

Schiff:
“And have you frequently suggested they say ‘fuck you’ and ignore court orders?...”

Bovey:
“No... I have never directed...”
[11:11–12:16]

5. Judge Boasberg’s Remedy & Message to the Executive Branch

[12:24–16:30]

• Boasberg issues a “final judgment,” not a temporary order—the administration must create a process for the 250 deportees (or at least 132 in Venezuela) to access the courts and assert rights under the writ of habeas corpus.
• Cites parallel Supreme Court cases, especially referencing Justice Sotomayor (“the remedy must adapt to meet the injury”).
• Warns that deportation can’t nullify constitutional protections:

  “If secretly spiriting individuals to another country were enough to neuter the Great Writ, then the government could snatch anyone off the street, turn them over to a foreign country, and then effectively foreclose any corrective course of action.” [15:30]

• Popok describes the tone of the order as “F me? No, F you. And I’m wearing a black robe.”

6. Next Steps & Broader Implications

[16:30–16:50]

• Popok predicts immediate administration appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court, notes the presence of partisan judges could make the path rocky.
• Ultimately, expects the case may land back before the Supreme Court, given Judge Boasberg’s stature and the gravity of constitutional issues involved.
• Notes personal connections among the judiciary (Boasberg and Kavanaugh were law school roommates, Boasberg respected by Chief Justice Roberts).

Timeline of Key Moments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30–02:30 | Popok introduces Judge Boasberg’s ruling, gives urgent context | | 02:45–05:20 | Explains the timeline of secret removals and the ACLU’s legal scramble | | 05:30–07:40 | Highlights Erez Reveni’s whistleblower revelations and judge’s reliance on them | | 08:58–12:24 | Plays 60 Minutes interview & Congressional testimony on DOJ contempt for judicial process | | 12:24–16:30 | Details the ruling’s prescribed remedy and larger message to the executive branch | | 16:30–16:50 | Discusses the expected appeals process and importance of the ultimate SCOTUS review |

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Trump Administration’s Evadance:

  “Plaintiff's hasty and secretive removal from the United States was certainly intended to deprive them of an opportunity to secure prior judicial review.”
  — Michael Popok, citing Judge Boasberg, [05:00]

• Whistleblower’s Description of DOJ Orders:

  “He [Bovey] also told all in attendance, ‘if some court should issue an order preventing [the deportations], we may have to consider telling that court, you know, fuck you.’”
  — Erez Reveni, [10:19]

• Judge Boasberg’s Message to Executive Power:

  “If secretly spiriting individuals to another country were enough to neuter the Great Writ, then the government could snatch anyone off the street, turn them over to a foreign country, and then effectively foreclose any corrective course of action.”
  — Michael Popok, quoting Judge Boasberg, [15:30]

Conclusion

Legal AF’s deep-dive into Judge Boasberg’s order against the Trump administration highlights not only the egregious efforts to evade judicial oversight and deny due process, but also the robust pushback from the judiciary upholding constitutional rights. The episode is a compelling account of rule of law under stress, whistleblower courage, courtroom jaw-droppers, and the continuing tension between branches of government as high-stakes appeals loom.