Addendum: Todd Blanche — Documented Conflicts With Court Orders and the Rule of Law
This addendum compiles specific instances in which Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s conduct has been found by a court to violate federal law, is under active judicial or appellate scrutiny for defying court orders, or has been publicly alleged (but not adjudicated or charged) to cross legal lines. As with the roster above, presence on this list reflects documented reporting and court filings, not proof of criminal guilt.
1. March 2025 Deportation Flights — Defiance of Judge Boasberg’s Restraining Order
Washington, D.C., USA
Context: As then-Deputy Attorney General, Blanche and Principal Associate Deputy AG Emil Bove advised DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that deportation flights to El Salvador’s CECOT prison could proceed, telling her the written order didn’t mean what Judge James Boasberg’s oral ruling minutes earlier had said. Two flights departed anyway; the Civil Division attorneys actually arguing the case were reportedly kept in the dark.13,14
Status: CONTEMPT INQUIRY ON APPEAL — Judge Boasberg opened a criminal contempt investigation; a divided D.C. Circuit panel halted it via a writ of mandamus in April 2026, and a petition for full-court rehearing remains pending. Georgetown Law professor Marty Lederman has written that the existing evidence is “more than sufficient” to support a criminal contempt trial of Blanche and Bove.14,15
2. Epstein Files Transparency Act — Judicial Finding of Violation
Washington, D.C., USA
Context: Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that Blanche “conceded” the DOJ was violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding and redacting files, including FBI interview notes involving a woman who has accused President Trump of abuse.
Status: COURT-ORDERED COMPLIANCE, DEADLINE MISSED — Sullivan ordered unredaction or a ‘show cause’ filing by July 2, 2026; Blanche did neither. The case remains open, with new filing deadlines set for July 13 and July 20, 2026; DOJ disputes Sullivan’s characterization and plans to appeal.16,17
3. $1.776 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund — Refusal to File Court-Ordered Declaration
Alexandria, Virginia, USA (E.D. Va.)
Context: U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to file sworn declarations confirming the fund was permanently dead. Blanche’s DOJ argued prior verbal statements should suffice and raised separation-of-powers objections rather than comply.
Status: DEADLINE MISSED — as of early July 2026, no sworn declaration had been filed; the court’s preliminary injunction against the fund remains in effect.18
4. Ghislaine Maxwell Interview and Custody Transfer — Witness-Tampering Allegation
Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, Texas / Washington, D.C., USA
Context: As Deputy AG, Blanche personally interviewed convicted trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. She was subsequently moved to a lower-security facility with privileges — including computer access — that correction officials have flagged as unusual for her custody classification.
Status: ALLEGED, NOT CHARGED — Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) has publicly characterized the episode as ‘witness tampering’ and investigative ‘interference.’ This is a political allegation, not a criminal charge or judicial finding.19
5. Withheld Communications — FOIA Litigation Ahead of Confirmation
Washington, D.C., USA
Context: Government watchdog American Oversight sued for release of Blanche’s Epstein/Maxwell/Trump-related emails and texts ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing; DOJ has resisted expedited release, arguing normal FOIA queue procedures should apply.
Status: LITIGATION ONGOING — more than 1,200 former DOJ employees have signed a letter urging the Senate to reject Blanche’s confirmation, citing these unresolved matters among others.20
6. Senate Confirmation as Permanent Attorney General
Washington, D.C., USA
Context: President Trump nominated Blanche in June 2026 to serve as permanent Attorney General while the matters above remained unresolved in federal court.
Status: PENDING — Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said confirmation odds are ‘hard to say’; no confirmation hearing date had been set as of this writing.15
Note on framing: the items above range from a judicial finding of a statutory violation (the Epstein Files Transparency Act ruling) to matters still on appeal (the 2025 contempt inquiry) to an unproven political allegation (‘witness tampering’). No court has issued a ruling that Blanche personally violated the U.S. Constitution. The term ‘constitutional’ is used here in the broader sense in which it is commonly invoked in this reporting: conflicts with judicial authority, the separation of powers, and the rule of law our constitutional system depends on — not a formal adjudication of unconstitutionality.
Just say NO to Blanche Confirmation!
Addendum: Todd Blanche — Documented Conflicts With Court Orders and the Rule of Law
This addendum compiles specific instances in which Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s conduct has been found by a court to violate federal law, is under active judicial or appellate scrutiny for defying court orders, or has been publicly alleged (but not adjudicated or charged) to cross legal lines. As with the roster above, presence on this list reflects documented reporting and court filings, not proof of criminal guilt.
1. March 2025 Deportation Flights — Defiance of Judge Boasberg’s Restraining Order
Washington, D.C., USA
Context: As then-Deputy Attorney General, Blanche and Principal Associate Deputy AG Emil Bove advised DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that deportation flights to El Salvador’s CECOT prison could proceed, telling her the written order didn’t mean what Judge James Boasberg’s oral ruling minutes earlier had said. Two flights departed anyway; the Civil Division attorneys actually arguing the case were reportedly kept in the dark.13,14
Status: CONTEMPT INQUIRY ON APPEAL — Judge Boasberg opened a criminal contempt investigation; a divided D.C. Circuit panel halted it via a writ of mandamus in April 2026, and a petition for full-court rehearing remains pending. Georgetown Law professor Marty Lederman has written that the existing evidence is “more than sufficient” to support a criminal contempt trial of Blanche and Bove.14,15
2. Epstein Files Transparency Act — Judicial Finding of Violation
Washington, D.C., USA
Context: Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that Blanche “conceded” the DOJ was violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act by withholding and redacting files, including FBI interview notes involving a woman who has accused President Trump of abuse.
Status: COURT-ORDERED COMPLIANCE, DEADLINE MISSED — Sullivan ordered unredaction or a ‘show cause’ filing by July 2, 2026; Blanche did neither. The case remains open, with new filing deadlines set for July 13 and July 20, 2026; DOJ disputes Sullivan’s characterization and plans to appeal.16,17
3. $1.776 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund — Refusal to File Court-Ordered Declaration
Alexandria, Virginia, USA (E.D. Va.)
Context: U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to file sworn declarations confirming the fund was permanently dead. Blanche’s DOJ argued prior verbal statements should suffice and raised separation-of-powers objections rather than comply.
Status: DEADLINE MISSED — as of early July 2026, no sworn declaration had been filed; the court’s preliminary injunction against the fund remains in effect.18
4. Ghislaine Maxwell Interview and Custody Transfer — Witness-Tampering Allegation
Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, Texas / Washington, D.C., USA
Context: As Deputy AG, Blanche personally interviewed convicted trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. She was subsequently moved to a lower-security facility with privileges — including computer access — that correction officials have flagged as unusual for her custody classification.
Status: ALLEGED, NOT CHARGED — Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) has publicly characterized the episode as ‘witness tampering’ and investigative ‘interference.’ This is a political allegation, not a criminal charge or judicial finding.19
5. Withheld Communications — FOIA Litigation Ahead of Confirmation
Washington, D.C., USA
Context: Government watchdog American Oversight sued for release of Blanche’s Epstein/Maxwell/Trump-related emails and texts ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing; DOJ has resisted expedited release, arguing normal FOIA queue procedures should apply.
Status: LITIGATION ONGOING — more than 1,200 former DOJ employees have signed a letter urging the Senate to reject Blanche’s confirmation, citing these unresolved matters among others.20
6. Senate Confirmation as Permanent Attorney General
Washington, D.C., USA
Context: President Trump nominated Blanche in June 2026 to serve as permanent Attorney General while the matters above remained unresolved in federal court.
Status: PENDING — Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said confirmation odds are ‘hard to say’; no confirmation hearing date had been set as of this writing.15
Note on framing: the items above range from a judicial finding of a statutory violation (the Epstein Files Transparency Act ruling) to matters still on appeal (the 2025 contempt inquiry) to an unproven political allegation (‘witness tampering’). No court has issued a ruling that Blanche personally violated the U.S. Constitution. The term ‘constitutional’ is used here in the broader sense in which it is commonly invoked in this reporting: conflicts with judicial authority, the separation of powers, and the rule of law our constitutional system depends on — not a formal adjudication of unconstitutionality.