Judge Assigned to Oversight Lawsuit Over Trump Cabinet's Signal Chat

Judge James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., is presiding over a new lawsuit filed by the nonprofit American Oversight, which alleges that members of President Donald Trump's Cabinet violated federal records laws by discussing military plans in a Signal group chat. The lawsuit claims that the use of Signal, which allows messages to auto-delete, prevents proper archival of official communications, undermining government transparency. Key figures named in the lawsuit include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz. The case comes amid criticism from the White House, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt labeling Boasberg a 'Democrat activist' and calling for his impeachment. The Trump administration has previously withheld sensitive information from Boasberg in another case regarding deportations, citing national security concerns. American Oversight asserts that the use of disappearing messages for war planning is unacceptable and demands the preservation of these communications.