Trump Taps His Own Criminal Defense Attorney For Lifetime Federal Judgeship

WASHINGTON — In a pathetic act of cowardice last year, a handful of Democrats tanked one of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees, Adeel Mangi.

Mangi, who was a veteran civil litigator in New Jersey, was , with the administration dropping the case in exchange for Adams cooperating with Trump’s immigration policies.

Several career attorneys resigned from the Justice Department rather than comply with Bove’s demands, including Danielle Sassoon, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, who wrote in her resignation letter that it was her constitutional duty to “prosecute crimes without fear or favor.” The case was ultimately dismissed.

“Bove’s DOJ efforts show that he is a Trump loyalist and lacks the qualifications, especially wisdom and temperament, to serve as a federal judge,” said Tobias.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who recommended Mangi to Biden for this seat in 2023 and unsuccessfully fought for his confirmation, called Bove’s nomination “deeply troubling.”

“It is vital that the federal judiciary in New Jersey be committed to upholding the ideals of independence and objectivity,” Booker said in a joint statement with Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.). “On this measure, Emil Bove has fallen short, repeatedly engaging in conduct as a top advisor in Trump’s administration that undermines his credibility as an objective jurist.”

Progressive judicial advocacy groups have denounced Bove’s nomination and urged senators to oppose his confirmation to the 3rd circuit court, which has jurisdiction in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

“Let’s speak plainly: Emil Bove is being nominated to a circuit court seat because of his proven loyalty to Trump,” Maggie Jo Buchanan, interim executive director of Demand Justice, said in a statement.

“Bove has demonstrated time and time again his willingness to use his position to advance even the most dangerous and extreme actions of this administration,” she said. “Any member of that chamber that purports to respect our system of governance must reject this nominee as antithetical to the foundational values of our nation and our courts.”

Caroline Ciccone, the president of Accountable.US, a progressive watchdog group focused on corruption in government, said “every American should be alarmed” by Bove’s nomination.

“Bove has consistently placed his loyalty to Trump over the Constitution,” Ciccone said in a statement. “And his lifetime appointment would all but guarantee Trump and his allies could seek out favorable rulings regardless of how unconstitutional their actions are.”

Trump’s first batch of judicial nominees is getting a hearing next Wednesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but Bove’s nomination hearing hasn’t been announced yet.