Overview
- Fix the Court filed a formal complaint alleging Judge Emil Bove violated Canons 2 and 5 by attending President Trump’s highly partisan Mount Pocono event.
- Bove, a recent Trump appointee to the Third Circuit and his former personal attorney, told a reporter he was “just here as a citizen coming to watch the president speak.”
- Under the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act, Chief Judge Michael A. Chagares may dismiss the filing or appoint a committee to investigate, with potential outcomes ranging from admonishment to temporary reassignment of cases.
- Reactions split along political lines, with the White House defending Bove’s attendance as a private citizen while figures including Sen. Dick Durbin, retired Judge Jeremy Fogel, and conservative commentator Ed Whelan criticized the judgment.
- The complaint lands as Bove is referenced in a separate DOJ-related contempt inquiry involving a whistleblower’s allegations and his recent sworn declaration about providing privileged legal advice.