迈克·昆策尔曼 华盛顿——司法部一名律师周二在一个上诉法院前辩称，一名联邦法官必须结束对特朗普政府是否忽视了一项阻止将多机载委内瑞拉移民遣返萨尔瓦多的禁令的“违法、不必要且徒劳的”藐视法庭调查。该上诉法院在庭审中多次表现出对政府立场的高度怀疑。
MICHAEL KUNZELMAN WASHINGTON — A federal judge must end his “unlawful, unnecessary and futile” contempt investigation into whether the Trump administration ignored an order blocking the deportation of planeloads of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, a Justice Department attorney argued Tuesday before an appeals court that often appeared to be deeply skeptical of the government’s case.
来自美国哥伦比亚特区巡回上诉法院的全体法官就此案听取了三个小时的辩论。这是又一个新进展，该案件一直是特朗普总统与联邦法院不断升级的冲突中反复出现的焦点。
Judges from the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard three hours of arguments in the latest chapter of a case that has been a recurring flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s escalating conflict with the federal courts.
司法部律师布雷特·舒马特辩称，地区法院首席法官詹姆斯·博斯伯格继续其调查既无依据也无权，因为调查犯罪的责任在检察官而不在法官。舒马特说：“本案中偏离正轨的是，地区法院企图进行调查。”
Justice Department attorney Brett Shumate argued District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg has no basis or authority to continue with his inquiry because a prosecutor — not a judge — is responsible for investigating crimes. “What’s gone off the rails in this case is that the district court has purported to investigate,” Shumate said.
今年4月，哥伦比亚特区巡回法院的一个由三名法官组成的分庭以分歧裁决认定，博斯伯格必须停止对特朗普政府进行的“侵入性”藐视法庭调查。但周二听证会上提出的问题表明，全体法官可能会为博斯伯格继续调查亮起绿灯。法官们并未透露他们将以多快速度做出裁决。
In April, a divided panel of three D.C. Circuit judges ruled that Boasberg must end his “intrusive” contempt investigation of the Trump administration. But the questions posed at Tuesday’s hearing suggest that the full court could give Boasberg a green light to proceed with his inquiry. The judges didn’t indicate how soon they would rule.
法官帕特里夏·米利特质问，为什么不应允许博斯伯格继续调查，以便他确定其他政府官员是否值得接受关于可能涉嫌刑事藐视法庭的进一步审查。
Judge Patricia Millett questioned why Boasberg shouldn’t be allowed to continue with his inquiry so he can determine if other government officials merit additional scrutiny for possible criminal contempt.
由民主党总统巴拉克·奥巴马提名的米利特问道：“地区法院是否被允许判定人们是否在其面前实施了藐视行为？”舒马特说：“地区法院失去了调查的权力。”
“Are district courts allowed to decide if people have engaged in contempt in front of them?” asked Millett, who was nominated to the court by Democratic President Barack Obama. “The district court loses the authority to investigate,” Shumate said.
“那不是我想问的问题！”米莱特突然提高嗓门说道，“这里的关键在于你对‘调查’这个词的理解——你到底是怎么定义‘调查’的？”2025年3月15日，博阿斯伯格根据一项18世纪的法律规定，颁布了一项临时禁令，禁止政府将委内瑞拉移民群体转移到萨尔瓦多。禁令生效之后，两批受该禁令保护的移民从美国出发，前往萨尔瓦多，结果他们被关进了世界上暴力程度最高的监狱之一。
“That’s not my question,” Millet interjected, raising her voice. “This is all about wordplay here on which you mean by the word ‘investigate.’”On March 15, 2025, Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order barring the administration from transferring groups of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century law. After the order was entered, two planeloads of migrants protected by the order departed from the U.S. on their way to El Salvador, where they were locked up in one of the world’s most violent prisons.
博阿斯伯格口头命令飞机立即返回美国。美国政府否认违反了这项禁令或后续的书面命令，但博阿斯伯格认为特朗普政府可能出于恶意，试图强行将委内瑞拉移民驱逐出境。
Boasberg gave a verbal order for the aircraft to turn around. The administration denied violating it or a subsequent written order, but Boasberg has said the Trump administration may have acted in bad faith by trying to rush Venezuelan migrants out of the country.
美国政府称，当时的国土安全部部长克里斯蒂·诺姆应对这一转移决定负责。然而，周二华盛顿特区巡回法院的法官们表示，在将此案提交给检察官之前，博阿斯伯格有权确定其他可能涉嫌藐视法庭的行为对象。
The administration has said then- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was responsible for the transfer decision. On Tuesday, however, D.C. Circuit judges suggested that Boasberg should be able to identify other possible targets for a contempt investigation before referring the matter to a prosecutor.
这起案件反映了特朗普与联邦司法系统之间日益紧张的冲突。长期以来，联邦司法系统一直阻挠特朗普政府的一些雄心勃勃但存在法律争议的举措；在多起类似事件中，美国政府都表现出前所未有的态度——他们不仅无视法庭命令，甚至公然违抗这些命令。
The case represents a major front in an escalating conflict between Trump and the federal judiciary, which has often blocked some of the president’s most ambitious and legally dubious initiatives. In case after case, the administration has demonstrated an unprecedented willingness to skirt or even defy court orders.
科妮莉亚·皮拉德法官（她也是一位由奥巴马提名的法官）表示，如果行政部门将司法命令视为“可选择性执行的事项”，并能够“逍遥法外”地无视这些命令，那么这将削弱法院的权威。
Judge Cornelia Pillard, also an Obama nominee, said it undermines courts’ authority if the executive branch treats judicial orders as “optional” and is allowed to ignore them “with impunity.”“The separation of powers respects the separate and co-equal authority of the different branches,” she said.
“权力分立原则强调各个政府部门之间的独立性与平等性，”她说，“归根结底，这个案件的实质在于：联邦法院是否真的任由行政部门摆布。”
“Really, at bottom what this case is about is whether (federal) courts are at the mercy of the executive.”Pillard asked Shumate if he could help her “feel more comfortable” about the administration’s perspective on that issue.
皮拉德询问舒马特是否能够帮助她更清楚地了解政府在这件事上的立场。舒马特表示，司法部“始终建议我们的客户遵守法院的命令”，并补充说：“遵守法院命令是正确的做法；政府在这起案件中确实遵守了相关命令。”
Shumate said the department is “always advising our clients to comply with court orders.”“It’s also the right thing to do,” he said. “We have to respect court orders, and the government in this case did comply with the order. I know there may be disagreement on that.”
司法部辩称自己并未违反博阿斯伯格的命令（因为对其命令的理解是“最符合法律精神的”），并指责这位由奥巴马提名的法官“以狭隘、固执的态度”推动了这项藐视法庭的诉讼程序。
The Justice Department says it didn’t violate Boasberg’s order “as it was best construed” and accuses the Obama-nominated judge of pursuing the contempt inquiry “with myopic and single-minded determination.”
美国公民自由联盟（ACLU）的律师指出，政府无视博阿斯伯格命令的决定对那些被送往萨尔瓦多、并被关押在名为“恐怖主义拘留中心”（CECOT）的监狱中的移民造成了“毁灭性后果”。
American Civil Liberties Union attorneys say the government’s decision to ignore Boasberg’s order had “devastating consequences” for the migrants who were flown to El Salvador and held for months in a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT .
ACLU的律师写道：“这些移民在CECOT被关押了四个月，所遭受的待遇简直野蛮至极：他们遭受了严重的身体和心理虐待，被剥夺了食物、水源和医疗照顾，还经常遭到警卫的殴打，甚至被用橡皮子弹近距离射击。”
“Plaintiffs’ four months at CECOT were nothing short of barbaric,” ACLU attorneys wrote. “They were subjected to horrific physical and psychological abuse, and deprived of food, water, and medical care. They were regularly severely beaten by guards and subjected to other physical abuse, including being shot at close range with rubber bullets.”
特朗普曾要求弹劾博阿斯伯格；司法部则提交了针对她的不当行为投诉，指控她对特朗普及其政府发表了不当的公开言论。作为罕见的公开批评，最高法院首席大法官约翰·罗伯茨公开拒绝了要求弹劾博阿斯伯格的呼声。
Trump has called for impeaching Boasberg, and the Justice Department filed a misconduct complaint accusing Boasberg of making improper public comments about Trump and his administration. In a rare rebuke, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts publicly rejected calls for Boasberg’s impeachment.