United States President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Emil Bove, was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, July 29, to serve as a federal appellate judge in a narrow 50-49 partisan vote.
The Republican-controlled Senate approved Bove’s lifetime appointment to the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals, despite strong opposition from Democrats who staged a walkout during a Senate committee meeting earlier this month.
Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, broke ranks and voted against Bove, but the GOP’s 53-47 majority was enough to confirm him. Bove, 44, a former federal prosecutor, was nominated by Trump while serving as the Justice Department’s third-ranking official.
Democrats sharply criticized the nomination. Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Dick Durbin said, “Mr. Bove’s primary qualification appears to be his blind loyalty to this President,” accusing him of siding with the January 6 Capitol rioters and firing career prosecutors who pursued those cases.
The 3rd Circuit covers Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim condemned Bove’s record, describing it as “marred by a pattern of abusive behavior, ethical breaches, and disdain for the norms of judicial integrity.”
Legal opposition was widespread. More than 900 former Justice Department attorneys wrote to the Judiciary Committee, stating it was “intolerable” that someone who “disgraces the Justice Department” would be elevated to a top court. Additionally, over 75 retired judges called the nomination “deeply inappropriate” for a president’s criminal defense attorney.
Bove represented Trump in the New York case that led to the former president’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments. He also defended Trump in two federal criminal cases that were dropped after Trump’s 2024 election victory.
Earlier this year, Bove controversially ordered federal prosecutors to drop bribery and fraud charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. This move sparked resignations within the Manhattan US attorney’s office and the Justice Department. Bove denied allegations that the decision was a quid pro quo linked to Adams’ support for Trump’s immigration policies.
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