Booker, Kim Statement on Confirmation of Emil Bove

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) issued the following statement:

“Emil Bove’s confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a blow to the guiding principles of judicial independence and impartiality. During his confirmation process, it became clear that Bove has a contempt for both. His professional record is marred by a pattern of abusive behavior, ethical breaches, and disdain for the norms of judicial integrity. These transgressions have drawn the condemnation of judges, members of the legal community, and even his peers.

“Throughout this process, it became clear that our Republican colleagues had no interest in a thorough or fair examination of his record. They repeatedly dismissed credible evidence and even disparaged multiple whistleblowers who risked their professional reputation to come forward with concrete proof of misconduct. An honest evaluation of his record would lead any person to conclude that Emil Bove should be nowhere near the federal bench.

“The people of New Jersey deserve a federal judge who will uphold the rule of law, remain immune from undue influence, and preserve and secure justice for all. And the people of America deserve Senators who honor their constitutional duty to rigorously scrutinize and responsibly consent to judicial nominations. Today, neither of those things happened. New Jersey will bear the burden of Senate Republicans’ cowardice.”

THE FACTS ABOUT EMIL BOVE: 

• 75 former state and federal judges, leaders within the conservative legal establishment, and hundreds of former DOJ attorneys have warned about the dangers of his nomination.

• A corroborated allegation from a whistleblower revealed that Bove directed attorneys to defy a court order.
• Bove misled lawmakers about his role in the Justice Department’s dismissal of NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ federal indictment.

• Federal criminal defense lawyers described Bove as a “drunk driver” as a prosecutor.

• Bove was involved in the Justice Department’s withholding of the Epstein files.

• An editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer stated that Bove is “one person who has no business working in the federal government, let alone receiving a lifetime appointment as a federal judge.”

• Columnists in the Times Union and The New York Times have warned Bove is “dangerous” and a “loyalist,” respectively.

• New Jersey’s Tom Moran stated, Bove is “Trump’s worst nomination yet.”

• Meanwhile The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board wrote, Bove’s reputation “is as a smashmouth partisan who wields the law as a weapon.”