Bloomberg Law: Trump Chooses His Personal Lawyers for Federal Appeals Courts
This excerpt is from a piece that originally ran on April 14, 2026.
Democratic senators strongly opposed Bove’s nomination, and some liberal groups are also coming out against the selection of Smith and Schwartz.
“Trump clearly cares about protecting himself over the rule of law or the Constitution, so he picks those loyal to his cause who will enable his authoritarian behavior,” said Christine Chen Zinner, federal research and advocacy director at the left-leaning group Alliance for Justice. “We cannot allow these MAGA extremists to assume lifetime positions on the federal bench and extend Trump’s undemocratic agenda for generations beyond his administration.”