Trumps criminal defense lawyer-turned-DOJ enforcer attended the presidents political rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump Judge Emil Bove doesnât care what you think about his ethics - MS NOW
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— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2025-12-10T17:42:12.385Z
https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/emil-bove-trump-speech-pennsylvania-ethics
When the GOP-controlled Senate confirmed Emil Bove to a lifetime seat on the federal bench this summer, it did so in spite of ethical concerns that set him apart from some of Donald Trumps other judicial nominees.
Given those concerns, which stemmed from his unscrupulous handling of multiple cases as a Department of Justice lawyer, Bove could have chosen to go above and beyond to reassure the American people that he views the job of a judge as different from the job of a partisan lawyer (which a DOJ lawyer shouldnt be, anyway).
He chose differently Tuesday, when he attended a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. MS NOWs Vaughn Hillyard reported that Bove said he was there as a citizen to watch the president speak.
On Wednesday, Gabe Roth of watchdog organization Fix the Court filed a complaint to the circuits chief judge, writing that he believes Bove has violated multiple Canons of the Code of Conduct, should be admonished for his behavior and should be subject to any other discipline under the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act that the Chief Judge and the Judicial Council deem fit......
The public display came as Bove, who previously represented Trump as a criminal defense lawyer, features in a Washington, D.C., judges contempt inquiry into DOJ lawyers actions in response to his order in March to halt flights to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.
A DOJ whistleblower alleged that Bove said that DOJ would need to consider telling the courts f you and ignore any such court order. The whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, is slated to testify next week in Washington. Bove said in a sworn declaration to the judge this week that he had contributed to privileged legal advice on the matter but that he wasnt authorized to disclose privileged information in his declaration.
While that contempt inquiry plays out, one might think Bove would avoid needless public displays of political support for the president whose policies hes accused of at least considering breaking the law for. On the other hand, his attendance at a Trump rally is in keeping with what we know about his character. In essence, his action tells non-Trump-supporting members of the public the same thing Reuveni alleged he was prepared to tell the courts: f you.
I was happy to see that a complaint was filed against this asshole