Hold onto your gavels, folks—President Donald Trump’s pick for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Emil Bove, just cleared a major Senate hurdle with a razor-thin 50-47 vote to limit debate.
In a nutshell, this procedural step, known as cloture, paves the way for a final confirmation vote in the coming days, despite fierce partisan pushback over Bove’s ties to Trump and questions about his impartiality, Courthouse News Service reported.
Back in March, Trump nominated Bove for this appellate position, touting his credentials as a former New York federal prosecutor and a current Justice Department official.
Republicans and the White House argue Bove’s experience makes him a stellar fit for the federal bench, emphasizing his time as a prosecutor and his current role as principal associate deputy attorney general.
Yet Democrats aren’t buying it, painting Bove as a partisan loyalist who’d prioritize Trump’s agenda over judicial fairness. Well, loyalty’s a virtue—until it’s to the wrong cause, right?
Bove’s past as Trump’s lawyer and his stint as acting deputy attorney general only fuel the fire, with critics pointing to his involvement in pushing to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Adding to the drama, a whistleblower report from former Justice Department lawyer Erez Reuveni, who was fired in April, alleges Bove expressed readiness to defy federal court orders during a March meeting.
Reuveni claims Bove suggested telling a federal judge a rather unprintable phrase to push through mass deportation plans. Bove, in a June hearing, told lawmakers he didn’t recall making such a remark, and in a Senate questionnaire, insisted he’s “not advised” anyone to violate court orders.
The Justice Department dismissed Reuveni’s report, calling him a disgruntled ex-employee with an axe to grind—hardly a ringing endorsement of the whistleblower’s credibility, but the accusation still stings.
The Senate’s 50-47 cloture vote saw two Republicans, Maine’s Susan Collins and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, break ranks, refusing to support advancing Bove’s nomination. Collins told MSNBC she believes Bove “would not” be impartial—a polite but pointed jab from a party moderate.
Democrats, meanwhile, are apoplectic, with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker calling the process a “sham” to Courthouse News and accusing Republicans of bending Senate rules to appease Trump. Supplicating to a “dear leader,” as Booker put it, might be a bit dramatic, but it’s clear the left sees this as a power grab.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer didn’t hold back either, labeling Bove the “extreme of the extreme” on Tuesday, a soundbite that’s more flair than substance but certainly grabs headlines.
On the other hand, top Justice Department officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, attended Bove’s June confirmation hearing, a move the department defended as support for a colleague, not a pressure tactic. Critics called it a show of force, but isn’t it possible they’re just backing a friend?
Blanche even penned an op-ed for Fox News last week, dubbing Bove “Trump’s DOJ champion” and praising him as a principled lawyer—a glowing review that Democrats will surely scoff at as more partisan cheerleading. Still, when your No. 2 at Justice vouches for you, that’s no small thing.
Last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting saw tempers flare as Democrats walked out in protest when Republicans forced a vote on Bove’s nomination, a stark display of the division that has become a hallmark of this process. Partisan tensions aren’t new, but this feels like a boiling point—turns out, judicial picks can be as divisive as tax policy.
