Emil Bove, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick for the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, admitted to meeting with a far-right, anti-LGBTQ legal group after his nomination – a disclosure that has raised ethical concerns among experts who question whether the relationship could affect his handling of an upcoming case if confirmed.
“The red flags on Emil Bove’s judicial nomination are piling up,” said Caroline Ciccone, president of the watchdog group Accountable US, speaking with HuffPost on Thursday.
Bove is currently the principal associate deputy attorney general at the Justice Department and was tapped by Trump for the lifetime appointment in June. His nomination quickly drew opposition, however, largely due to Bove openly urging DOJ staff to defy court orders related to halting deportation flights of migrants.
Now, critics are highlighting Bove’s close ties to the Alliance Defending Freedom, and whether or not those ties may influence Bove’s decision-making when, if confirmed, taking up a case currently headed to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, where ADF is representing the plaintiff.
“Bove has shown unflinching loyalty to his former client and current boss, Donald Trump; has refused to commit to recusing himself on cases involving the President; and is the subject of a whistleblower complaint casting doubt on his integrity and highlighting his lack of respect for the law,” Ciccone told HuffPost.
“Now it’s clear that he has also conferred with a far-right legal organization that has matters before the court on which he would serve.”
That case is Doe v. Delaware Valley Regional High School Board of Education, where ADF will be providing legal services for a father suing a Delaware school district for affirming his teenager’s gender identity without his consent, the outcome of which could have far-reaching implications nationwide.
“His lifetime appointment opens the door for the President and his allies to seek out favorable rulings, no matter how unconstitutional their actions may be,” Ciccone said.
As for ADF, the organization has a long history of supporting far-right priorities.
“ADF, which identifies as a conservative Christian legal advocacy group, has been designated an anti-LBGTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center,” wrote Jennifer Bendery with the HuffPost.
“It has supported the recriminalization of sexual acts between consenting LGBTQ adults, defended forced sterilization of transgender people, claimed that LGBTQ people are more likely to engage in pedophilia and, predictably, warned that a so-called ‘homosexual agenda’ will destroy us all.”