Oppose Unqualified and Politically Motivated Judicial Nominees

I urge you to reject the current and upcoming judicial nominees submitted by the Trump administration, particularly Emil Bove (Third Circuit) and Whitney Hermandorfer (Sixth Circuit). These nominations represent a concerning effort to reshape the federal judiciary with individuals chosen for political loyalty rather than impartial justice, threatening the integrity and independence of our courts. Bove’s selection appears to be based primarily on his personal loyalty to Donald Trump. His early legal career was marred by repeated complaints about his unprofessional behavior at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, leading to a demotion. After Trump granted clemency to individuals involved in the January 6 insurrection, Bove fired federal prosecutors pursuing those cases, sought names of FBI agents involved in January 6 investigations, and ordered others to resign or be fired. Bove also ordered his former office to drop a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to coerce Adams into supporting the administration’s immigration agenda, a move deemed "transparently pretextual" by prosecutors who resigned in protest. Even conservatives like Ed Whelan and former Republican nominations counsel Gregg Nunziata have expressed serious doubts that Bove has the character and integrity to be worthy of confirmation and called his nomination "outrageous and unacceptable". He is considered patently unfit for judicial office. During Hermandorfer’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, she refused to answer questions about her personal views on critical issues and echoed the Trump administration’s talking points about selecting "bold and fearless" judges. She sidestepped questions about the appropriateness of Trump’s attacks on "U.S.-hating judges". And she interviewed personally with Trump, a practice typically reserved for Supreme Court candidates, which raises concerns about direct political influence over judicial appointments. We need judges who are committed to impartiality and the rule of law, not political loyalty or a willingness to act as a hatchetman. The Senate's role is to scrutinize nominees to ensure they possess the necessary character, integrity, and independence for a lifetime appointment. I urge you to vote against these nominations and demand a higher standard for federal judges. The future of our justice system depends on it.