Emil Bove, President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the 3rd Circuit, is sworn in before testifying during his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building June 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Alongside Todd Blanche, now a deputy attorney general, Bove led Trump’s personal defense team during the president's criminal prosecutions. Blanche told Fox News Digital in an interview last month that Bove was a "brilliant lawyer" who authored the vast majority of their legal briefs for Trump's cases. In a letter to the Senate, attorney Gene Schaerr called Bove’s brief writing "superb."
Bove will leave behind his job as principal associate deputy attorney general at the DOJ. Attorney General Pam Bondi congratulated him in a statement.
"This is a GREAT day for our country," Bondi wrote on X. "I cannot thank Emil enough for his tireless work and support at @TheJusticeDept. He will be missed — and he will be an outstanding judge."
Two Republicans, Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, voted against Bove.
Democrats and some who crossed paths with Bove during his time in New York and at DOJ headquarters fiercely opposed his nomination and said he was unqualified.
KEY TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY SENATE DEMS PUT PRESSURE ON GOP LEADERS
(L-R) Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and John Lauro depart federal court after a hearing on Trump’s election interference case Sept. 5, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
A group that opposes Bove's nomination, Justice Connection, published a letter signed by more than 900 former DOJ employees calling for the Senate to reject Bove's nomination.
Among their concerns was that Bove led the controversial dismissal of Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams' federal corruption charges. Several DOJ officials resigned in protest over Bove's orders to toss out the charges. In the letter, the former employees said Bove has been "trampling over institutional norms" and that he lacked impartiality.
Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, in an unusual move, staged a walkout at a hearing on Bove before a recent vote to advance his nomination. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called him a "henchman," a description Democrats have widely adopted for him.
"He's the extreme of the extreme," Schumer told reporters. "He's not a jurist. He's a Trumpian henchman. That seems to be the qualification for appointees these days."
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Bove defended himself against critics during his confirmation hearing.
"I am not anybody’s henchman. I’m not an enforcer," Bove said. "I’m a lawyer from a small town who never expected to be in an arena like this."
Fox News' Alex Miller contributed to this report.
Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. Email story tips to ashley.oliver@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-pick-emil-bove-confirmed-federal-judge-after-furious-democrat-walkout-whistleblower-complaints