Emil Joseph Bove III, born in 1981 in Geneva, New York, is a U.S. federal judge serving on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.[4] He earned a B.A. summa cum laude in public policy and economics from the State University of New York at Albany in 2003, captaining the lacrosse team and earning America East Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, followed by a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2008, where he was editor-in-chief of the Annual Review of Criminal Procedure.[3][4] Bove began his legal career with clerkships for U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan (Southern District of New York, 2008–2009) and Second Circuit Judge Richard C. Wesley (2009–2010).[1][4] He practiced briefly at Sullivan & Cromwell (2010–2012), then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York (2012–2021), rising to co-chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit in 2019.[2][3][4] Notable prosecutions included César Sayoc (pipe bomber), Ahmad Khan Rahimi, and the brother of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández on drug and weapons charges.[2][3][6] From 2022–2023, Bove worked at Chiesa, Shahinian & Giantomasi, then joined Blanche Law as a partner in 2023, representing Donald Trump as second chair in his New York falsifying business records trial (conviction on 34 felony counts), and in federal classified documents and election obstruction cases.[1][2][7] After Trump's 2024 re-election, Bove became principal associate deputy attorney general in November 2024, briefly acting deputy attorney general in early 2025 under Attorney General Pam Bondi, overseeing deportations and personnel changes.[1][2][3][4] Nominated by Trump on June 16, 2025, to the Third Circuit seat vacated by Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr., Bove was Senate-confirmed on July 29, 2025, and commissioned on August 20, 2025.[4] His tenure has drawn scrutiny for prior Trump defense work and DOJ actions, including dismissing the Eric Adams case.[3][7]