With Bove Confirmation, Senate Republicans Abandon Integrity of Federal Courts

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 29, 2025 – Today the Senate approved the confirmation of Emil Bove to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit with only Republican lawmakers voting in favor. The vote comes mere days after at least two additional whistleblowers came forward to confirm accounts that Bove told Department of Justice lawyers to say “fuck you” to courts, encouraging the disobedience of court orders against the Trump administration. Republican senators have refused calls to receive testimony from any of the whistleblowers, disregarding procedural objections and seemingly speeding up the confirmation process to avoid accountability as they have with other problematic judicial nominees like Brett Kavanaugh.

Emil Bove is the epitome of Trump fealty. He represented Trump in his multiple criminal cases, protecting Trump’s illegal activity and attacks on democracy. At the DOJ, he fired January 6 prosecutors for holding those who committed insurrection and injured police officers accountable. He engaged in an apparent quid pro quo to end the prosecution of New York Mayor Eric Adams in exchange for support of Trump’s cruel and ruthless immigration policies. And many of Bove’s legal colleagues have been clear that all he cares about is power and that he is an abusive manager with a temper.

The Canons and Code of Judicial Conduct for United States Judges require a federal judge to “maintain and enforce high standards of conduct;” to “respect and comply with the law;” to “act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary;” to “not engage in behavior that is harassing, abusive, prejudiced, or biased;” and most importantly, to “not be swayed by partisan interests.” Significant evidence shows that Bove does not meet these minimum requirements.

Alliance for Justice President Rachel Rossi issued the following statement:

“Senate Republicans just declared that loyalty to Trump is their first and only priority for judicial nominees — not protecting the rule of law. Emil Bove’s confirmation undermines the foundational principle of our legal system: an independent judiciary that provides essential checks and balances against abuses of power and that applies equal and fair justice under the law. By voting to confirm Emil Bove to a powerful circuit court, Republican senators have betrayed their obligation to provide advice and consent. They rushed this confirmation in hopes of hiding Bove’s egregious activity because they didn’t want to be held accountable for their vote. But his confirmation is a tragedy for our nation, and he will do untold harm during this lifetime appointment. As we look to the courts to protect us from Trump’s unlawful behavior, we must steel ourselves for the dark turn our courts will take if the bench is stacked with extremists like Bove.”