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June 25, 2025

Trump's #3 DOJ official told staff they could tell judges to "go f--- themselves"

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Trump's DOJ nominee tells staff to defy federal judges blocking deportations.

On Jun. 24, 2025, career DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that Emil Bove, the #3 official at DOJ, told subordinates they might need to tell federal judges “f--- you” and ignore court orders blocking mass deportations.

Emil Bove is a former criminal defense lawyer for President Donald J. Trump and is nominated for a lifetime appointment to a federal appeals court; his confirmation hearing was held on Jun. 25, 2025.

Erez Reuveni was fired from his career position at DOJ after raising legal concerns about ignoring court orders, despite civil service protections meant to shield career attorneys from political retaliation.

If executive branch officials ignore judicial orders blocking deportations, it raises a separation-of-powers issue by undermining the courts’ constitutional role to review and check executive actions.

📜Constitutional Law🏛️Government⚖️Justice

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Q1

When did this whistleblower complaint become public?

Q2

How might this whistleblower complaint affect Bove's Senate confirmation?

Q3

How might Republican senators respond to this whistleblower complaint during the confirmation hearing?

Q4

Who is Erez Reuveni and why was he fired from DOJ?

Q5

What specific policy area triggered the alleged instructions to defy court orders?

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People, bills, and sources

Erez Reuveni (career DOJ attorney and whistleblower who filed a complaint on Jun. 24, 2025)

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What you can do

1

Track judicial nominations and committee hearings on the U.S. Senate website (senate.gov) to follow the progress and public records of confirmation votes.

2

Contact your U.S. senators to express views on lifetime judicial appointments; find their contact information and submit statements through senate.gov’s ‘Contact’ pages.

3

Monitor developments in separation of powers and whistleblower protections by reviewing official resources such as the Whistleblower Protection Ombudsman (whistleblower.gov) and the DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility (justice.gov).

4

Use congress.gov to track related legislation or resolutions on judicial authority, executive compliance with court orders, and civil service protections for career attorneys.