Chief Judge James E. Boasberg is a prominent figure in the U.S. judicial system, currently serving as the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a position he has held since 2023. Born in 1963 in San Francisco, California, he is a native Washingtonian, having graduated from St. Albans School in 1981. Boasberg earned his B.A. in History, magna cum laude, from Yale College in 1985, followed by a Master of Studies (M.St.) in Modern European History from the University of Oxford in 1986. He received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Yale Law School in 1990. Boasberg's legal career began as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then worked as a litigation associate in San Francisco and later in Washington, D.C. In 1996, he joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, where he specialized in homicide prosecutions for over five years. In 2002, he was appointed as an associate judge of the D.C. Superior Court by President George W. Bush. In 2011, he was nominated by President Barack Obama to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where he has served since. Notably, Boasberg served a seven-year term on the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from 2014 to 2021, including a stint as presiding judge from 2020 to 2021. He has also been involved in high-profile cases, including a recent controversy surrounding the deportation of Venezuelans, where he ordered a halt to the deportations, only to have his order ignored by the Trump administration. This incident has led to impeachment efforts against him by some Republicans. Despite these challenges, Chief Judge Boasberg continues to play a significant role in the judicial system, offering insights into legal careers and judicial practices through public engagements.