Obama-appointed Judge James “Jeb” Boasberg, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, claimed during a 2023 speech before University of Chicago law students that he believed the January 6 defendants deserved harsher charges and called for “new laws” to punish them.
Unlike his harsh law and order stance with J6ers, Boasberg appears to have a soft spot for foreign violent gang members.
ACTIVIST JUDGE BOASBERG CLAIMED J6 DEFENDANTS DESERVED HARSHER CHARGES — CALLED FOR “NEW LAWS” TO PUNISH THEM
In a shocking 2023 speech to law students, Judge James Boasberg — who ruled over many January 6th cases — openly admitted the law wasn’t harsh enough to punish… https://t.co/e8bnixjckA pic.twitter.com/WZxH133P1f
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 23, 2025
Earlier this month, Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants suspected of ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, claiming to have concerns over the use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
Reviewing March 15 Venezuelan terrorist hearing transcript. This is the proceeding where Boasberg claimed to have issued a verbal order demanding return of the TdA gang members.
This is….something.
Boasberg: “These folks are going to be sent to Salvadoran or Honduran prisons,…
— Julie Kelly (@julie_kelly2) March 21, 2025
Boasberg, who presided over numerous January 6 cases, previously expressed frustration that the laws on the books did not allow for harsher charges and complained about a gap in the justice system.
The judge’s comments came during a lecture titled “The U.S. District Court in the Shadow of January 6th,” where he reflected on sentencing J6ers.
According to reports, he told students that the unprecedented nature of the event left prosecutors scrambling to match defendants’ actions to existing statutes, noting, “There were no statutes that were written that said, ‘it is a criminal offense to storm the Capitol and interfere with the counting of certification of the electoral college after the presidential election.’”
Boasberg said “a lot of law still to be made” in this area, calling for legislative action to create harsher penalties tailored to January 6 defendants.
The judge oversaw approximately 70 January 6 cases and consistently imposed prison sentences — even for nonviolent offenses like “parading” in the Capitol, a misdemeanor.
Sandra Weyer, a 60-year-old Pennsylvania woman who committed no violent acts on January 6, was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison by Boasberg on a charge of “obstructing an official proceeding” under 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2), a corporate fraud statute. The U.S. Supreme Court later deemed this charge inapplicable to most J6 cases in a 2024 ruling.
Another defendant, Sara Carpenter, a former NYPD officer, received a 22-month sentence from Boasberg on similar charges despite her lack of violent conduct.
President Donald Trump has called Boasberg a “Radical Left Lunatic” on Truth Social.
