Chat lawsuit

Hearing for Signal group chat lawsuit set for this afternoon

From CNN's Katelyn Polantz

Judge James Boasberg is calling the Trump administration into court today at 4 p.m. ET for an emergency hearing over the Cabinet-level Signal chat about a Yemen attack this that inadvertently included a journalist.

An advocacy group has sued because of the chat, accusing department secretaries and intelligence chiefs of flouting federal records laws with the auto-delete features of the Signal texting app.

Lawsuits like these can be difficult lifts legally in court for outside groups. But concerns over the use of Signal for federal business now could prompt the judge — the chief of Washington, DC’s federal trial court, who has extensive experience with records law and national security and intelligence matters, and whom President Donald Trump has tried to paint as a political foe in recent weeks — to ask questions of the Cabinet officials and seek answers quickly.

More on Boasberg: The assignment is a mere coincidence, because the DC District Court randomly assigns cases to its collection of judges. That practice is typical among federal courts.

Boasberg is also currently overseeing the case challenging Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, where he has been fighting with the Justice Department to obtain more information on deportation flights that left the US in possible defiance of a court order.

Trump and his allies, including billionaire Elon Musk, have repeatedly criticized Boasberg for his handling of the migrants case, even calling for his impeachment, drawing a rebuke from much of the legal community, including Chief Justice John Roberts.

The Signal chat case is likely to draw their attention to the judge again if Boasberg pushes for more information from top administration officials or orders a change in agencies’ approach to using encrypted apps.