The divisive nomination of Emil Bove, a zealous defender of President Donald Trump, to a lifetime seat on the federal appeals court that oversees cases in the commonwealth has generated intense reaction nationally and among former federal prosecutors and judges in Western Pennsylvania.

Contested nominations to the federal courts often involve ideological concerns. But a scholar of the courts says the contentious nomination of a former lawyer for Donald Trump is different.

Donald Trump has nominated his former personal defense attorney, Emil Bove, to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals—one of the most powerful courts in the country. The nomination is being called a “turning point” in Trump’s war on the judiciary—where loyalty now trumps qualifications.