--- title: "Appeals court hears bid to end contempt probe into Trump deportation flights" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/appeals-court-hears-bid-to-end-contempt-probe-into-trump-deportation-flights" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/appeals-court-hears-bid-to-end-contempt-probe-into-trump-deportation-flights" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/appeals-court-hears-bid-to-end-contempt-probe-into-trump-deportation-flights.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/appeals-court-hears-bid-to-end-contempt-probe-into-trump-deportation-flights" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-29T21:45:48.629Z" source_reported: "2026-09-29T21:28:58.401Z" updated: "2026-09-29T21:45:48.629Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 61 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-29T22:18:13.614Z" --- # Appeals court hears bid to end contempt probe into Trump deportation flights *Justice Department argues judge overstepped by investigating potential contempt of court.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named body, but relies on anonymous sourcing and lacks specific dates/locations. - Craft 61 of 100, higher is better. Quotes affected parties, separates fact from comment, and discusses future implications. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Headline promises criminal charges, but article focuses on the possibility of a contempt probe. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A Justice Department attorney argued before an appeals court that a federal judge should end his contempt investigation into whether the Trump administration ignored an order blocking the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador. - The case involves two planeloads of migrants protected by a temporary restraining order that departed the U.S. on their way to El Salvador. - The Trump administration has stated that then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was responsible for the transfer decision. - The American Civil Liberties Union stated that the government's decision to ignore the order had devastating consequences for the migrants. A Justice Department attorney argued before a federal appeals court that a judge should terminate his investigation into whether the Trump administration ignored an order blocking the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador. The attorney, Brett Shumate, stated that the judge had no authority to conduct such an inquiry, as prosecutors, not judges, are responsible for investigating crimes. The case concerns two groups of migrants who were deported to El Salvador after a temporary restraining order was issued. The Justice Department contends that the district court judge pursued the contempt inquiry with "myopic and single-minded determination." The Trump administration has said that then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was responsible for the transfer decision. The American Civil Liberties Union stated that the government's decision to ignore the order had devastating consequences for the migrants, who were allegedly held in harsh conditions in El Salvador. ## Disagreement on judicial authority The Justice Department attorney argued that the district court judge "has purported to investigate" and lost the authority to do so. However, Judge Patricia Millett questioned this, asking if district courts are allowed to decide if people have engaged in contempt before them. She suggested the dispute was about the definition of "investigate." The Justice Department stated that it advises clients to comply with court orders and that the government did comply in this case, though it acknowledged disagreement on that point. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated, centre-rated, or right-rated digests mention the specific details of the "devastating consequences" for the migrants in El Salvador that were detailed in the full report from Washington Top News, such as being held in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) and subjected to abuse. ## Who covered it Shares of the 26 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 65% (17) - Centre: 31% (8) - Right: 4% (1) 2 of 28 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-29T22:18:13.614Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 3 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-29T22:30:34.196Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports focused on the appeals court appearing likely to allow the contempt probe to continue. Several digests stated that most judges on the court seemed inclined to permit the investigation into Trump officials for possible criminal contempt charges. The Toronto Star and Niagara Falls Review digests noted the Justice Department attorney argued the judge must end his "unlawful, unnecessary and futile" contempt investigation. Courthouse News Service reported that the full D.C. Circuit grilled the DOJ in its bid to block the probe. El Pais reported that the Trump administration was facing indictment for contempt after deporting Venezuelans to El Salvador. ### Centre - Centre-rated reports highlighted the Justice Department's argument that the judge should end the contempt investigation. Digests from outlets like Washington Top News and My Mother Lode stated that a Justice Department attorney argued before an appeals court that a federal judge must end his "unlawful, unnecessary and futile" contempt investigation. Several digests noted the appeals court appeared skeptical of the government's case. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and WTVB digests mentioned the appeals court was weighing the fate of the judge's probe. ### Right - The single right-rated digest reported that a U.S. Justice Department lawyer asked an appeals court to terminate a judge's inquiry into whether Trump administration officials willfully violated a judicial order to stop deportation flights of Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador. The report noted the three-hour oral argument was the latest development in a standoff between the President and the federal judiciary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 14 - unknown: 2 - veryHigh: 12 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [westvirginiawatch.com](https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/09/29/repub/appeals-court-poised-to-allow-contempt-probe-of-dhs-deportation-flights-to-el-salvador) — Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador - [mainemorningstar.com](https://mainemorningstar.com/2026/09/29/repub/appeals-court-poised-to-allow-contempt-probe-of-dhs-deportation-flights-to-el-salvador) — Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador - [alabamareflector.com](https://alabamareflector.com/2026/09/29/repub/appeals-court-poised-to-allow-contempt-probe-of-dhs-deportation-flights-to-el-salvador) — Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador - [Daily Montanan](https://dailymontanan.com/2026/09/29/repub/appeals-court-poised-to-allow-contempt-probe-of-dhs-deportation-flights-to-el-salvador) — Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador - [Iowa Capital Dispatch](https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/09/29/repub/appeals-court-poised-to-allow-contempt-probe-of-dhs-deportation-flights-to-el-salvador) — Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador - [El Carabobeño](https://el-carabobeno.com/gobierno-de-trump-pide-cerrar-pesquisa-por-desacato-en-expulsion-de-venezolanos-a-el-salvador) — Trump Government Asks to Close Search for Contempt in Expulsion of Venezuelans to El Salvador - [Michigan Advance](https://michiganadvance.com/2026/09/29/repub/appeals-court-poised-to-allow-contempt-probe-of-dhs-deportation-flights-to-el-salvador) — Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador - [Wisconsin Examiner](https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/09/29/repub/appeals-court-poised-to-allow-contempt-probe-of-dhs-deportation-flights-to-el-salvador) — Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador - [arkansasadvocate.com](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/09/29/repub/appeals-court-poised-to-allow-contempt-probe-of-dhs-deportation-flights-to-el-salvador) — Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador - [Alternet](https://alternet.org/trump-boasberg-judge) — Trump sweating as court appears likely to pave the way for criminal charges - [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette](https://post-gazette.com/news/world/2026/09/29/appeals-court-trump-deport-flights-venezuela/stories/202609290056) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge's contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/09/29/repub/appeals-court-poised-to-allow-contempt-probe-of-dhs-deportation-flights-to-el-salvador) — Appeals court poised to allow contempt probe of DHS deportation flights to El Salvador - [My Mother Lode](https://mymotherlode.com/news/national/11179895/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judges-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights.html) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge’s contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [washingtonsun.com](https://washingtonsun.com/judges-restarting-contempt-deportation) — Some Judges Sound Open to Restarting Contempt Probe in El Salvador Deportation Case - [WBAL](https://wbal.com/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judges-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge's contempt probe over Trump ad - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judges-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge’s contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/us-politics/2026/09/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judges-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge’s contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights – WTOP News - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/09/29/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judges-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge's contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judge-s-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights/article_bcd2eb75-2f2f-5ee9-99d0-d38e43cd215e.html) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge’s contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [NiagaraFallsReview.ca](https://niagarafallsreview.ca/news/world/united-states/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judge-s-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights/article_3a74abf2-6757-5032-aa0c-2bf1a9b8333b.html) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge’s contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [WellandTribune.ca](https://wellandtribune.ca/news/world/united-states/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judge-s-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights/article_330f31b3-3bb7-50a1-8e9a-00c0803c0450.html) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge’s contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [WKMG](https://clickorlando.com/news/politics/2026/09/29/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judges-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge's contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [Audacy](https://audacy.com/wbbm780/news/politics/trump-boasberg-contempt-appeals-court-9e3d10096b15db9d3753ea0f98c75aef) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge's contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [KXL](https://kxl.com/appeals-court-weighs-fate-of-judges-contempt-probe-over-trump-administration-deportation-flights) — Appeals court weighs fate of judge's contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights - [regionalmedianews.com](https://regionalmedianews.com/news/national/us-appeals-court-mulls-contempt-probe-over-trump-deportation-flights) — US appeals court mulls contempt probe over Trump deportation flights - Regional Media News - [WTVB](https://wtvbam.com/2026/09/29/us-appeals-court-mulls-contempt-probe-over-trump-deportation-flights) — US appeals court mulls contempt probe over Trump deportation flights - [Courthouse News Service](https://courthousenews.com/full-dc-circuit-grills-doj-in-bid-to-block-contempt-probe-over-el-salvador-deportations) — Full DC Circuit grills DOJ in bid to block contempt probe over El Salvador deportations - [El Pais](https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-09-29/trump-administration-facing-indictment-for-contempt-after-deporting-venezuelans-to-el-salvador.html) — Trump administration facing indictment for contempt after deporting Venezuelans to El Salvador ## Questions **What is the Justice Department asking the appeals court to do?** The Justice Department is asking the appeals court to end a federal judge's investigation into whether the Trump administration ignored a court order. The department argues that the judge overstepped his authority by initiating such a probe. **What order was allegedly ignored?** The order in question was a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge that barred the Trump administration from transferring groups of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador. Two planeloads of migrants departed the U.S. for El Salvador after this order was in place. **What are the consequences for the migrants?** The American Civil Liberties Union stated that the government's decision to ignore the order had devastating consequences for the migrants. These included being held for months in a prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) and allegedly subjected to abuse, deprivation of food, water, and medical care. **What is the Trump administration's stance on responsibility?** The Trump administration has stated that then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was responsible for the transfer decision. The Justice Department also argues that the government complied with the order as it was best construed. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/appeals-court-hears-bid-to-end-contempt-probe-into-trump-deportation-flights. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Appeals court hears bid to end contempt probe into Trump deportation flights", https://mediabias.news/politics/appeals-court-hears-bid-to-end-contempt-probe-into-trump-deportation-flights