Last week saw U.S. District Judge James Boasberg threaten to pursue contempt charges against members of the Trump administration.
However, a federal appeals court panel has since moved to temporarily shut Boasberg's contempt proceedings down.
Three-judge panel split along ideological lines
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Decision came in the form of a divided ruling from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Trump-appointed Judges Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao pointed out that their order "should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits" of the White House's request for Boasberg's contempt threats to be quashed.
Instead, Katsas and Rao stressed that it was only intended to provide the court with "sufficient opportunity" to consider the government's appeal.
That conclusion was met with a dissent from Judge Cornelia Pillard, who has served on the D.C. Circuit since being appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2013.
"In the absence of an appealable order or any clear and indisputable right to relief that would support mandamus, there is no ground for an administrative stay,” Pillard wrote.
Boasberg accused the White House of having "deliberately flouted" his order
The case arose after Boasberg found that the administration had "deliberately flouted" his verbal order to return a plane load of alleged gang members who were already on their way to El Salvador.
The men are said to belong to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang which President Donald Trump designated as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year.
While the White House contends that foreign gang members can be swiftly removed under the Alien Enemies Act, the Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction blocking further deportations while the matter is being litigated.
CBS News noted that Boasberg suggested he may hire a private attorney to prosecute the case in the event that the Department of Justice (DOJ) refuses to do so.
Legal expert doubts that administration officials will be held in contempt
Yet Harvard Law School professor and veteran attorney Alan Dershowitz has expressed doubt over the likelihood that administration officials will face legal consequences.
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He told that Greta Van Susteren that Boasberg is simply "flexing his muscle" and "will be reversed on appeal."
"The United States Supreme Court is not going to allow criminal contempt against an administration for violating as vague an order as was allegedly violated in this case," Dershowitz predicted.
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