
Trump lawyer and DOJ enforcer faces confirmation hearing for federal judgeship
CNN
President Donald Trump has nominated several of his personal attorneys to top legal posts in his administration, but his nomination of Emil Bove to the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals marks the first time he has selected one of his lawyers to serve on the federal bench.
President Donald Trump has nominated several of his personal attorneys to top legal posts in his administration, but his nomination of Emil Bove to the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals marks the first time he has selected one of his lawyers to serve on the federal bench. For the past six months, Bove has served as a high-ranking official in the Justice Department. In that short time, he has proven himself to be a reliable ally for the president and also been embroiled in a series of major controversies – including dropping federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams; investigating officials who worked on cases related to January 6, 2021; and pursuing Trump’s deportation goals in ways that prompted a whistleblower to allege Bove intended to ignore court orders and mislead federal judges. A Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing Wednesday will be the first time Democratic lawmakers will have the chance to grill the reclusive Bove on his time at the Justice Department and his work for Trump. If confirmed, Bove would be one of roughly a dozen judges with the power to review federal cases being appealed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and the Virgin Islands. Despite his involvement in high-profile cases and controversies, Bove has mostly avoided the limelight. “He has been right there but kind of in the shadows, he doesn’t go on TV, he doesn’t talk to the press,” a senior Justice Department official told CNN. “He is a brilliant lawyer, he is just an amazing writer, critical thinker … he clerked for two rock star judges, he worked at Sullivan and Cromwell. He is a legit genius lawyer, but nobody knows who he is.” Bove graduated from Georgetown Law School in 2008 and then went on to spend a decade working as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, where he focused on international terrorism and narcotics cases.













