Judge James Jeb Boasberg will take over as chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, D.C., overseeing grand jury investigations into former President Donald Trump and sealed disputes related to those probes. This includes the ongoing investigation into classified documents found at his Florida estate and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Former Vice President Mike Pence is also challenging a grand jury subpoena related to the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
US District Judge James Jeb Boasberg, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, will replace Beryl Howell as chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, DC. The position rotates every seven years and gives Boasberg oversight of grand jury matters and sealed disputes that have surfaced in investigations involving former President Donald Trump. This is significant as special counsel Jack Smith is currently conducting multiple grand jury investigations into Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate and efforts by him and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election ahead of the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. One ongoing dispute involves whether prosecutors can secure additional grand jury testimony from Trump lawyer M Evan Corcoran, who last year drafted a statement saying that a diligent search for classified documents had been conducted at Mar-a-Lago despite FBI agents later finding roughly 100 additional documents with classified markings. Separately, former Vice President Mike Pence has said he will challenge a grand jury subpoena that seeks to compel him to testify in the special counsel’s January 6 investigation.