Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) introduced articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge John Bates on Monday.
Earlier this month, Bates, in the case Doctors for America v. Office of Personnel Management, ordered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restore webpages that were removed in compliance with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump.
Time to impeach judges who violate the law https://t.co/4LAkyvd84F
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 24, 2025
The executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” directed all federal agencies to “remove all statements, policies, regulations, forms, communications, or other internal and external messages that promote or otherwise inculcate gender ideology.”
As such, to align with Trump’s executive order, the Office of Personnel Management proceeded to issue a memorandum to all agencies directing them to “[t]ake down all outward facing media (websites, social media accounts, etc.) that inculcate or promote gender ideology.”
In his February 11 ruling in the case challenging the Trump administration’s guidance, Bates sided with the plaintiffs, arguing that the reinstatement of media related to gender ideology on taxpayer-funded websites does not “pose a burden on the agencies’ ability to engage in their work.”
“Judge John Deacon Bates has engaged in conduct so utterly lacking in intellectual honesty and basic integrity that he is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors, is unfit to hold the office of Federal judge, and should be removed from office,” Ogles’ articles of impeachment against the judge reads.
In a statement, the Tennessee congressman called Bates an “activist judge” who is actively “weaponizing” his bench against Trump.
“Requiring taxpayer funds to disseminate information endorsing the castration of children is repugnant,” Ogles said upon introducing articles of impeachment against Bates on Monday.
“The continued socialization of this grave moral evil necessitates immediate Congressional action against those promoting it. America’s founders gave Congress the authority to impeach judges to defend the will of the people. My articles will do just that. It is unacceptable for rogue judges to implicate taxpayers in woke LGBTQ propaganda and the irreversible destruction of children’s bodies,” Ogles added.
Ogles’ articles of impeachment against Bates were applauded by the likes of billionaire and special government employee Elon Musk, who said it’s “Time to impeach judges who violate the law.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Rep Andy Ogles” by Rep Andy Ogles and “Judge John D. Bates” by US Courts.
