House Speaker Mike Johnson spent months dismissing the most obvious thing about activist judges.
That just changed thanks to Judge James Boasberg.
And Mike Johnson just told Republicans to do something he called "extreme" eight months ago.
Johnson Reverses Course After Arctic Frost Revelations
Johnson said he's ready to impeach federal judges blocking Trump's agenda.
"Impeachment, as we have discussed all together many, many times, is an extreme measure," Johnson said at his weekly press conference.
"But extreme times call for extreme measures."
"I think some of these judges have gotten so far outside the bounds of where they're supposed to operate. It would not be, in my view, a bad thing for Congress to lay down the law."
Asked specifically about Judge James Boasberg, Johnson didn't hesitate.
"I'm for it," Johnson said.
"Boasberg is one who's been mentioned, and these are some egregious abuses."
Compare that to what Johnson said back in May 2025 when House conservatives first pushed for judicial impeachment.
"Look, impeachments are never off the table if it's merited. But in our system — we've had 15 federal judges impeached in the entire history of the country — I mean, there may be some that I feel merit that, but you've got to get the votes for it. And it's a very high burden," Johnson said then.
"Frankly, the bar is high crimes and misdemeanors. I mean, the last federal judge impeached, I think was caught…taking cash in an envelope. You know, it's got to be a pretty brazen offense or a real open crime that everybody could agree to."
What changed Johnson's mind between May and now?
Republicans discovered Boasberg signed secret warrants allowing Jack Smith to spy on GOP senators' phone records without telling them for a year.
Jack Smith's Arctic Frost Spied On Republican Senators
Documents released by Senator Chuck Grassley exposed Jack Smith's "Arctic Frost" investigation that supposedly targeted Trump's 2020 electors.
Turns out Arctic Frost actually targeted the entire Republican political operation.
Smith issued 197 subpoenas covering more than 430 Republican individuals and entities, including Turning Point USA and the Republican Attorneys General Association.
Judge Boasberg signed the warrants ordering phone carriers to hand over GOP lawmakers' records.
His orders claimed there were "reasonable grounds to believe" senators like Ted Cruz would "destroy evidence" or "intimidate witnesses" if they knew about the subpoenas.
Cruz branded the entire operation "Joe Biden's Watergate."
AT&T refused to comply with the subpoena for Cruz's records, calling it unconstitutional.
Verizon confirmed it was ordered to keep at least seven senators in the dark about the surveillance.
Smith and his team knew they were playing with fire by targeting sitting members of Congress.
Internal emails show Special Counsel attorneys discussed the "constitutional implications" of issuing subpoenas for congressional data.
They knew federal law protects senators from being kept in the dark about DOJ seeking their records.
They did it anyway.
Boasberg rubber-stamped every single warrant.
Boasberg Made Himself Face Of Judicial Resistance To Trump
The Arctic Frost surveillance wasn't Boasberg's only assault on Trump's agenda.
He made himself the face of judicial resistance to Trump's deportation policies.
In March 2025, Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to quickly remove alleged Venezuelan gang members.
Boasberg issued an emergency order blocking the deportations mid-flight.
He then found "probable cause" that Trump officials violated his orders by letting the planes continue to El Salvador anyway.
The Trump administration argued Boasberg had no authority to interfere with national security decisions.
Appeals courts sided with Trump in August, wiping away Boasberg's contempt proceedings and his order requiring officials to give deportees hearings.
But Boasberg kept pushing.
In December, he ordered the administration to bring back 137 Venezuelan migrants or provide them due process hearings abroad.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called Boasberg's rulings "failed judicial overreach at its worst."
Trump called for Boasberg's impeachment earlier this year, prompting Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare statement defending judicial independence.
Texas Congressman Brandon Gill filed articles of impeachment against Boasberg in November.
Johnson's newfound support suggests those articles might actually move forward for the first time.
Why This Crosses Constitutional Line
Only 15 federal judges have been impeached in American history.
Eight were convicted and removed.
The last Supreme Court justice impeached was Samuel Chase in 1804 for being openly partisan on the bench.
The Senate acquitted him, establishing a precedent that judges shouldn't be removed for their rulings alone.
Every judge impeached since Chase faced accusations of actual crimes: bribery, tax evasion, perjury, sexual assault.
But Republicans say Boasberg's actions go beyond disagreeable rulings.
Authorizing secret surveillance of sitting senators violates the Speech and Debate Clause that protects lawmakers from being questioned by law enforcement for their legislative activities.
This isn't a policy dispute.
It's a constitutional violation that strikes at separation of powers.
Senator Cruz chaired a hearing titled "Impeachment: Holding Rogue Judges Accountable" earlier this month, calling for removal of both Boasberg and Judge Deborah Boardman, who sentenced a would-be Kavanaugh assassin to just eight years despite prosecutors requesting 30 to life.
Johnson's backing gives impeachment efforts real momentum for the first time.
Republicans watched Obama-appointed judges block Trump's agenda for months while GOP leaders dismissed impeachment as "impractical."
Now Johnson admits the bar Boasberg crossed wasn't just disagreeable rulings.
It was authorizing surveillance of the legislative branch that the Justice Department's own attorneys knew raised "constitutional implications."
That's not activism.
That's abuse of power that Republicans finally have the votes to punish.
Sources:
- Elizabeth Elkind, "Johnson changes tune on judicial impeachments after 'egregious abuses' of Trump agenda," Fox News, January 21, 2026.
- Ted Cruz, "Sen. Cruz Chairs Hearing on Judicial Overreach, Urges Impeachment of Judges Boasberg and Boardman," U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, January 7, 2026.
- Chuck Grassley, "NEW: Jack Smith Subpoenaed Records for Over 400 Republican Targets As Part of Arctic Frost," U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, October 29, 2025.
- Brandon Gill, "Rep. Gill Files Impeachment Articles Against Judge Boasberg Following Arctic Frost Scandal," Representative Brandon Gill, November 5, 2025.
- Marshall Cohen, "Boasberg finds 'probable cause exists' to hold Trump administration in contempt for violating orders on deportation flights," CNN Politics, April 16, 2025.
