New Delhi, April 15 -- A divided federal appeals court has ruled that a lower court judge must end his contempt investigation into the Trump administration over deportation flights carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador in 2025.

The three-judge panel from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that Chief Judge James Boasberg overstepped his authority by pursuing criminal contempt proceedings. The majority concluded the investigation was "intrusive" and not legally justified.

Writing for the majority, Circuit Judge Neomi Rao said the lower court had committed a fundamental legal error.

"The legal error at the heart of these criminal contempt proceedings demonstrates why further investigation by the distr...