WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Tuesday confirmed Emil Bove to a lifetime federal judgeship, choosing to ignore credible allegations that Bove had told Justice Department attorneys to defy court orders and say “fuck you” to judges who ruled against them.
Bove was confirmed, 50-49. Every Democrat opposed him, along with two Republicans: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine).
Bove, 44, will now serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, which has jurisdiction over cases in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and the Virgin Islands.
Given his age, he will potentially sit on this court for decades.
Bove is easily President Donald Trump’s most alarming court pick in his second term. He was previously Trump’s personal criminal defense attorney and, until now, has been Trump’s so-called “enforcer” at the Justice Department, where he’s spent months carrying out an apparent campaign of retribution against Trump’s perceived political enemies.
