Dear Senator:
The AFL-CIO strongly opposes the confirmation of Emil Bove III to the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
During Mr. Bove’s career as a prosecutor in the US Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York, there were multiple complaints about his conduct during that period, demonstrating that he does not have the judicial temperament or ethical standards to serve as a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Working people deserve judges with impeccable credentials, strong ethical standards, and an appropriate judicial temperament, who have demonstrated the willingness to serve as a fair and impartial decision maker and who treat all those who come before them with the appropriate degree of respect and fairness. Mr. Bove’s behaviors, both in his past roles and in his current role at the Department of Justice (DOJ), suggest the exact opposite.
Mr. Bove’s recent involvement in the illegal deportation of International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) Local 100 first year apprentice Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador is of major concern. Evidence submitted by whistleblower Erez Reuveni, the former Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the DOJ, contends that Mr. Reuveni was placed on administrative leave and subsequently fired after refusing instructions from Mr. Bove and other DOJ officials to lie to the court in the Garcia case. Coming fresh from an episode such as this, rife with constitutional and ethical infirmities, Mr. Bove is not qualified for a lifetime appointment to the bench.
Our nation deserves judges who treat all Americans fairly and demonstrate respect for our core values. Nothing in Mr. Bove’s record leads us to the conclusion that he would be such a judge. The AFL-CIO urges you to vote no on his confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Sincerely,
Jody Calemine
Director, Government Affairs