politics
Judge denies DOJ request to revive Fed subpoenas in Powell probe
A federal judge refused the Justice Department's bid to reinstate two subpoenas to the Federal Reserve in an investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, saying the government provided no evidence of a crime.
Apr 3rd 2026 · United States
Insights
- Chief Judge James Boasberg said the government's arguments did not justify reviving the two subpoenas and offered no basis to change his prior ruling that they were pretextual.
- The subpoenas were issued as part of a criminal inquiry into Fed Chair Jerome Powell focused on his comments about a multi year renovation of Federal Reserve office buildings and his June 2025 Senate testimony.
- Powell disclosed in January that the Federal Reserve had received grand jury subpoenas and that prosecutors had threatened a possible indictment, but no criminal charges have been filed.
- The Justice Department has appealed Boasberg's original decision and filed a motion for reconsideration, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro publicly criticized the judge after the ruling was unsealed.
Sources
- DOJ tells Trump he doesn’t have to follow law requiring him to turn over all presidential records www.independent.co.uk
- DOJ says Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional www.cbsnews.com
- Justice Dept. Says Trump Doesn’t Need to Hand Over Presidential Records After Office www.nytimes.com
- Justice Dept. says the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional www.washingtonpost.com
- Judge denies DOJ request to revive Federal Reserve subpoenas www.cbsnews.com
- U.S. judge upholds block on subpoenas to Fed's Powell, teeing up likely appeal www.cnbc.com
- US judge upholds block on subpoenas to Fed’s Jerome Powell, teeing up likely appeal www.straitstimes.com
- U.S. judge upholds decision to block Fed Chair Jerome Powell subpoenas www.theglobeandmail.com