An attorney representing former President Donald Trump made an error while submitting paperwork concerning Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appeal against the dismissal of Trump’s classified documents case. According to court documents examined by Newsweek, attorney Emil Bove’s notice of appearance was marked as deficient by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The case involves U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of 40 felony counts against Trump related to his handling of sensitive materials from his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Bove submitted a notice of appearance form late Thursday afternoon, but the court quickly flagged it as deficient, citing improper use of another person’s electronic court filing account. Bove then refiled the form later that evening, which the court did not flag.
This filing is part of the broader legal battle over Judge Cannon’s ruling, which dismissed charges against Trump on the grounds that Special Counsel Jack Smith was not properly appointed.
Attorney Emil Bove’s Filing Error in Trump’s Classified Documents Appeal Highlights Procedural Issues
Federal prosecutor James Pearce and Department of Justice attorney John Pellettieri have also filed appearance forms to argue on behalf of the federal government in the appeals court. On the defense side, Kendra Wharton has joined Bove in representing Trump. The legal community, including analyst Allison Gill, noted Bove’s initial error, highlighting it as a significant procedural misstep.
The case stems from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appeal following Judge Cannon’s dismissal of the classified documents charges. Smith’s team contends that the Attorney General has the statutory authority to appoint a Special Counsel, a stance supported by previous court decisions. The Justice Department has sanctioned Smith’s office to appeal the dismissal order, reinforcing their commitment to pursuing the charges.
Emil Bove has also been involved in representing Trump in other legal matters, notably the Manhattan hush-money case. In that case, Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign. This ongoing legal representation highlights the breadth of Bove’s involvement in Trump’s legal challenges.
