President Trump’s former defense attorney and a longtime federal prosecutor, Emil Bove, will soon be sworn in as a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals — a possible stepping stone to the Supreme Court. Mr. Bove in the last six months has been one of Mr. Trump’s top enforcers at the Department of Justice. 

Mr. Bove joined the president’s legal defense team after he was indicted on charges related to his handling of classified documents and alleged RICO violations in Georgia. Months later, Mr. Trump would be convicted on more than 30 criminal counts related to fraud in New York. 

Mr. Bove was confirmed to his seat on the Third Circuit in a 50-to-49 vote. Senators Collins and Murkowski were the only Republicans to vote no on the nomination. Another Republican senator did not vote. 

Since Mr. Trump’s inauguration for a second term, Mr. Bove has served as principal associate deputy attorney general — a position that does not require confirmation by the Senate. Earlier this year, he temporarily worked as acting deputy attorney general before a fellow Trump defense lawyer, Todd Blanche, was confirmed by the Senate to fill the position full-time. 

In 2012, Mr. Bove joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. At the time, the office was led by top prosecutor Preet Bharara, who now is a legal analyst, podcaster, and partner at WilmerHale. Mr. Bove would end up leading the district’s terrorism and international narcotics unit before leaving federal service. 

In recent weeks, Mr. Bove has been accused of impropriety in his justice department roles related to his involvement in the cases against Mayor Adams and in defending the president’s mass deportation operations. 

He was the point man at the Department of Justice in the dismissal of the criminal case against Mr. Adams. Mr. Bove appeared before a federal judge in the Southern District of New York to demand that the charges be dropped so that Mr. Adams could continue his partnership with the Trump administration in its mass deportation operation. 

Mr. Bove, during his confirmation process, was accused by a whistleblower of openly suggesting that the Trump administration consider defying court orders that go against its deportation efforts. 

The whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, claimed in a complaint to the DOJ’s inspector general that Mr. Bove floated the idea of telling federal judges, “F— you,” if they tried to stall or block the president’s deportation plans. That complaint was first obtained by the New York Times.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Bove did not deny the accusation but said he could not recall if such a thing had happened. 

“I have no recollection of saying anything of that kind,” Mr. Bove told Senator Schiff. “I’ve certainly said things, encouraging litigators at the department to fight hard for valid positions that we have to take in defense of our clients.”