Months before U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg blocked President Donald Trump’s deportation orders targeting illegal alien gang members, he attended a privately funded legal conference in Idaho that featured sponsors and speakers with clear anti-Trump views—especially on immigration—and a theme closely aligned with the Democratic Party’s 2024 messaging on “saving democracy,” according to a judicial ethics report.
Boasberg was among nine judges appointed by Democratic presidents and three Trump-appointed judges who took part in the event, held in upscale Sun Valley. According to the report, two of the four main sessions were titled “Role of Judges in a Democracy” and “The State of Democracy.”
Titled the “Privately Funded Seminar Disclosure Report,” the document confirms Boasberg’s attendance at the event but provides no details about whether he received compensation or reimbursement for travel, nor does it disclose the amount if he did, Just the News reported.
Federal ethics rules, overseen by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, require private entities inviting a federal judge to an educational program—as a speaker, panelist, or attendee—and offering to cover expenses exceeding $480, to disclose general financial and program information. However, the rules do not mandate a breakdown of payments per judge or specify exactly how much any individual judge received.
Just the News learned of the conference and Judge Boasberg’s attendance through a retired judge appointed by a Democratic president, who expressed concern that the July 2024 event’s focus on the judiciary’s role in a democracy was uncomfortably aligned with a political party’s messaging. The judge requested anonymity. While it’s possible Boasberg’s “payment” consisted solely of travel reimbursement, he did not respond to a request for comment from Just the News.
The conference was held as part of the Rodel Institute’s Judicial Fellowship program, with all attending judges — including Boasberg — serving as first-year fellows, according to the institute’s website. The Rodel Institute is funded by many of the same foundations that frequently support anti-Trump initiatives and publications, the outlet reported.
Some members of Rodel’s leadership team, along with several of its institutional partners, funding sources, and faculty associates, lean left or hold anti-Trump views. Additionally, its annual book award is named after former Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards, a vocal critic of Trump who endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024, noted Just the News.
Rodel’s chief executive officer John Kroger has sounded clear criticism of Trump in recent weeks on his Linked-In page, claiming Trump’s administration has “intentionally” taken “a very large number of actions that violate statutes or clear constitutional precedent” that in prior times would warrant “bipartisan impeachment.”
Kroger said last year that Trump was “disqualified” from being president in his view, writing that “calling the convicted felons who attacked the Capitol on January 6 ‘patriots’ and ‘hostages,’ giving them a salute, and promising them pardons disqualifies you from being president. Truly awful.” He added: “Real patriots oppose political violence and support the rule of law, plain and simple. Please support decency, values and common sense this election cycle, not extremism.”