District court service
On March 30,2021,President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Boardman to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. On April 19,2021,her nomination was sent to the Senate. Biden nominated Boardman to the seat vacated by Judge Richard D. Bennett,who had announced his intent to assume senior status upon the confirmation of his successor. [7] On May 12,2021,a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. [8] On June 10,2021,her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–10 vote,with Senator Lindsey Graham voting "present". [9] On June 23,2021,the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 52–48 vote. [10] Her nomination was confirmed later that day by a 52–48 vote. [11] She received her judicial commission on June 25,2021. [6] She was sworn in on July 1,2021. [12]
Notable rulings
On August 24, 2023, Boardman denied a request for a preliminary injunction seeking to reinstate a Montgomery County School Board policy that previously allowed parents to remove their children from lessons involving books featuring LGBTQ characters. [13] Plaintiffs claimed the exposure to these books “contradict their sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage, human sexuality, and gender” and that the lack of an opt-out policy violates their children’s First Amendment right to free exercise of religion. However, Boardman reasoned that “mere exposure in public school to ideas that contradict religious beliefs does not burden the religious exercise of students or parents.” [14] The Fourth Circuit affirmed Boardman's decision by a 2–1 vote on May 14, 2024. [15] The case is currently pending before the Supreme Court after the Court granted certiorari on January 17, 2025. [16]
On August 19, 2024, Boardman ruled in favor of environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, which challenged a biological opinion issued by National Marine Fisheries Service in 2020 under the Trump administration. Boardman found the agency violated the Endangered Species Act and the Administrative Procedures Act by underestimating risks and failing to implement adequate mitigation measures concerning the effects of oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico on protected species, including the Rice's whale. [17] Various oil and gas companies denounced Boardman's decision, as they would have to halt all operations in the Gulf of Mexico. [18]
On February 5, 2025, Boardman became the first district judge in the nation to grant a preliminary injunction, blocking President Trump's Executive Order 14160—which aimed to end birthright citizenship in the United States—from taking effect on February 19. The case was brought by five pregnant undocumented women and two immigrant rights organizations. [19] [20] The following day, Judge John C. Coughenour issued a similar preliminary injunction in a case filed by the State of Washington challenging the same executive order. [21]
