Legal Showdown As Justice Department Resists Judge's Demand For More Details On Deportation Flights

The Justice Department is resisting a federal judge's demand for more information about flights that took deportees to to El Salvador, arguing on Wednesday that the court should end its "continued intrusions" into the authority of the executive branch.

It's the latest development in a showdown between the Trump administration and the judge who temporarily blocked deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration . President Donald Trump has called for the judge's impeachment as the Republican escalates his conflict with a judiciary after a series of court setbacks over his executive actions.

U.S. District Judge Jeb Boasberg , who was nominated to the federal bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, had ordered the Trump administration to answer several questions under seal, where the information would not be publicly exposed. There were questions about the planes' takeoff and landing times, and the number of people deported under Trump's proclamation.

The judge has questioned whether the Trump administration ignored his court order on Saturday to turn around planes with deportees headed for the Central American country, which had has agreed to house them in a notorious prison.

In court papers filed hours before the deadline to respond Wednesday, the Justice Department said the judge's questions are "grave encroachments on core aspects of absolute and unreviewable Executive Branch authority relating to national security, foreign relations and foreign policy." The department said it was considering invoking the 'state secrets privilege" to allow the government to withhold some of the information sought by the court.