Another one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers was confirmed as a federal appeals court judge on Monday, when the Senate voted 48-43 to place Justin Smith on the St. Louis-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. Smith has been Trump’s lead attorney at the Supreme Court in the president’s effort to upend the millions of dollars in damages that E. Jean Carroll won against him for sexual abuse and defamation.
Smith’s confirmation follows Emil Bove’s confirmation to the Philadelphia-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. It also follows Trump’s nomination of Matthew Schwartz to the New York-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. Schwartz was working on the president’s appeal of his hush money conviction, which New York state prosecutors won at trial against Bove and Todd Blanche, the latter of whom the president has nominated to be attorney general.
Blanche is currently acting attorney general, following the departure from that role of another Trump personal lawyer, Pam Bondi.
Before his judicial appointment, Bove was a high-ranking Trump Justice Department lawyer who spearheaded several administration priorities, including the failed attempt to only temporarily dismiss corruption charges against then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Separately, a DOJ whistleblower accused Bove of saying the department “would need to consider telling the courts ‘f— you’ and ignore any such court order” in litigation over deportation flights. Bove said he “did not suggest that there would be any need to consider ignoring court orders.”