The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to narrowly confirm Emil Bove's appointment to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, approving a controversial nomination to a lifetime position for a once-personal lawyer to Donald Trump.
The final Senate vote was 50-49. All Democrats, as well as two Republicans, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, voted against Bove's nomination.
Most recently, Bove has served as the principal associate deputy attorney general for the U.S. Justice Department. President Donald Trump nominated Bove to that position in November of 2024, before nominating him to the circuit court.
Previously, Bove served as a criminal defense lawyer, representing Donald Trump in the federal classified documents and election obstruction cases against him.
Bove was a partner at a law firm founded by Todd Blanche. Bove and Blanche represented Donald Trump in his New York criminal trial concerning payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, in which Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
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Bove's nomination has met with fierce Democratic opposition.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Dove's nomination to the Circuit Court 12-0. Democratic members walked out of the vote in protest.
More than 900 former Department of Justice attorneys signed a letter opposing Bove’s nomination, urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject his appointment.
