May 28 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated Emil Bove, a high-ranking official in the Justice Department and one of his former defense attorneys, to become a federal appeals court judge.
In posts on Truth Special, Trump selected Bove, 44, for the 3rd circuit and five others to serve as federal district judges in Florida. All of these selections must be confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in a majority vote.
The 3rd Circuit hears appeals from district courts in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the Virgin Islands.
“Emil is SMART, TOUGH, and respected by everyone,” Trump wrote. “He will end the Weaponization of Justice, restore the Rule of Law, and do anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. Emil Bove will never let you down.”
Bove represented Trump after he was indicted and then convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York stemming from a hush money deal with a porn actor.
In the case in Manhattan, Bove worked with Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche to represent Trump, who became the first former president to be convicted. After Trump was elected president, sentencing in state court was put on hold.
Bove also represented Trump in his two federal prosecutions brought by special counsel Jack Smith on retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The cases were dismissed after Trump won the election.
When Trump became president again, Bove served as DOJ’s acting No. 2 official until Blanche was confirmed by the Senate. Bove then worked as Blanche’s deputy.
While in the interim role, Bove purged career law enforcement officials in the DOJ and FBI.
He also dropped the criminal corruption prosecution of New York City Mayor Eric Adams in exchange for his support on immigration enforcement.
“Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” Judge Dale Ho said in his ruling in dismissing the case against Adams.
Before going into private practice, Bove served as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York from 2012-2021. He handled terrorism, espionage and narcotics cases, including the indictment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
He never has served as a judge in the state or federal level.
Bove is a graduate of Georgetown Law after receiving his undergraduate degree in public policy and economics at the State University of New York at Albany.
His father, Emil Bove Jr., served as an assistant New York attorney general.
Ed Artau, a Florida state appeals judge, was nominated as a district judge in the Southern District of Florida. He allowed Trump to proceed with his defamation case against Pulitzer Prize Board members.
Trump nominated four Florida residents to serve as judges in the Middle District of Florida: U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle Dudek, Florida Chief Deputy Attorney General John Guard, and Court of Appeals Judges Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe and Jordan Pratt.
