Boasberg Weighs Unsealing of Warrant in Omar Raid

Three separate groups have asked a federal court to reveal the search warrant used in the October 12 raid on the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. The requests came from The New York Times, the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch, and a coalition of 14 press organizations. Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia now holds the consolidated motion.

The search was executed by Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI under a warrant signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh. Agents acted while two federal investigations into Omar remained active. One probe examines financial disclosures filed a year apart. The other looks at immigration paperwork for Omar's father, who brought her to the United States from Somalia in 1995 when she was 12. Investigators are checking if he misstated her age on 2000 citizenship documents, a detail that could have affected her path to citizenship as a minor.

President Donald Trump has a long history of conflict with Boasberg, an Obama appointee. In March 2025, Trump urged the judge's impeachment after Boasberg temporarily blocked deportation flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members. The president labeled Boasberg a "Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator." Trump also claimed it was "virtually impossible for me to get an Honest Ruling in D.C." Following the raid on Omar's Washington, D.C. home, Trump said she should be "put in jail."

The Justice Department argued for keeping the warrant sealed until it is "fully executed." The department contended that early disclosure could compromise the investigation's integrity. Judge Aileen Cannon's filing, referenced in the source as a position taken by Pirro, called the unsealing request "rash." The department asked the court to extend the deadline to respond to the motion. Boasberg granted that extension after the department requested to wait until the warrant execution was complete.

The media groups counter that the physical search took place weeks before the midterm elections. They argue that sensitive details can be redacted rather than withholding the entire document. The filing suggests the department is still processing the warrant. Other details about the investigation and the records remain redacted in the court documents.

Omar is also fighting over the property taken during the search. Her attorneys argue that agents violated protections for her congressional work and failed to provide her with a copy of the warrant. They also allege agents prevented her from contacting her lawyers during the raid. Boasberg has issued several other rulings that drew criticism from the president's allies. In June 2025, he ordered agencies to preserve Signal messages about military strikes in Yemen. He also imposed 12 months of probation and 400 hours of community service on former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith, who pleaded guilty to altering an email used in a surveillance renewal application.