Today’s hearing includes the nomination of Emil Bove to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the judicial nominations of Emil J. Bove III, to be a United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit; Edward L. Artau, to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida; Kyle Christopher Dudek, to be a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida; Jordan Emery Pratt, to be a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida; and Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe, to be a United States District Judge for the Middle District of Florida.
In his opening statement, Durbin outlined how Mr. Bove, a former personal defense attorney of President Trump, is unfit to serve as a federal judge with a lifetime appointment.
Key Quotes:
“For the last four years, before this one, I was Chairman of this Committee. We considered 235 judicial nominees that were sent to us by the White House. Those nominees were all approved by this Committee and by the United States Senate. Eighty percent of the nominees received bipartisan roll call support. So, I want to make that record very clear.”
“Over the years—especially during the first Trump Administration—I have disagreed with many nominees who appeared before this Committee on matters of constitutional interpretation. President Trump’s judicial picks during his first term were largely legal conservatives. This nominee is in a category all of his own.”
“A former personal defense attorney of President Trump, Mr. Bove has led the effort to weaponize the Department of Justice against the President’s enemies. Having earned his stripes as a loyalist to this President, he’s been rewarded with this lifetime nomination.”
“Mr. Bove has fired dozens of career federal prosecutors who worked on cases related to the January 6 insurrection, the cases that were assigned to them… Mr. Bove also ordered the FBI to compile a list of all current and former FBI employees who were assigned ‘at any time’ to a January 6 investigation ‘to determine whether any additional personnel actions are necessary.’”
“Mr. Bove personally intervened to strike a corrupt bargain with the New York City Mayor, Eric Adams… he wanted to drop the prosecution of Mayor Adams in exchange for Adams’s promise to cooperate with President’s immigration policies. In response, several professional prosecutors resigned, including the U.S. Attorney herself, a staunch conservative who clerked for Justice Scalia and was appointed by President Trump.”
“And according to a whistleblower complaint the Committee received yesterday, Mr. Bove has suggested that the Justice Department might need to say ‘F*** you’ to federal courts and ignore federal court orders with which this Administration disagrees… this gets to the heart of our democracy and the rule of law… These serious allegations against Mr. Bove came not from the ACLU, but from a career Justice Department lawyer who was promoted by the Trump Administration and is best known for defending the first Trump Administration’s immigration policies in court.”
“In addition to Mr. Bove’s unethical conduct, there are serious questions about his temperament. According to public reporting, Mr. Bove was the subject of an internal investigation over his ‘abusive,’ ‘bellicose’ management style while serving as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. Just what we need in a federal judge with a lifetime appointment. His fellow prosecutors noted that Mr. Bove has a quick temper and he belittled his coworkers.”
“I would also like to address the process by which Mr. Bove was selected for this New Jersey seat. The White House engaged with Senator Booker and Senator Kim on this vacancy for only three months before announcing Mr. Bove’s nomination. And notably, the White House did not indicate it was considering Mr. Bove until two months into that process. Compare that to the Biden White House’s approach with Republican members of the Committee. The Biden White House discussed two Sixth Circuit vacancies and a Fourth Circuit vacancy with home state Senators for seven months, nine months, and six months, respectively, before making a selection.”
“Notably, Mr. Bove hardly has ties to New Jersey for this New Jersey-based seat. Don’t take my word for it. His formal nomination before this Committee identifies him as ‘Emil J. Bove III, of Pennsylvania.’ He is not even admitted to practice before the court to which he has been nominated.”
“With Mr. Bove, we see a sign of what is to come. President Trump cares little about statutory interpretation and the original meaning of the Constitution. He’s looking for loyalty. He’s looking for fierce retribution. He’s looking for someone who will instill fear in his opponents. It seems he has found such a nominee in Mr. Bove.”
Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.
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