WP: Law professor Goodwin Liu may be test case for Obama judicial picks

[usregimechange]

Goodwin Liu's nomination to an appeals court pleased liberals and alarmed conservatives. (Berkeley School Of Law Via Associated Press)


Liberal legal activists came away from last summer's confirmation hearings on Sonia Sotomayor with an empty feeling. It's not so much that they had a beef with Sotomayor, whom they supported. But her pragmatic discourses on judging and her vague remarks on constitutional interpretation were far from the soaring progressive vision of the Constitution that they had waited for years to hear from a Democratic nominee.

The activists are likely to get the debate they were looking for soon enough. President Obama's nomination of Goodwin Liu, a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley, to a spot on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has energized the left and outraged the right. His hearing and the battle over his nomination could tell much about the Obama administration's willingness to appoint controversial nominees to the bench, including the Supreme Court.

"I think people are viewing this as a test for the Supreme Court nomination that will be coming up" if Justice John Paul Stevens steps down at the end of this term, said Curt Levey, executive director of the conservative Committee for Justice.

It also might be the beginning of an examination of Liu's eventual fitness for a place on the high court. The Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, might serve "as an initial referendum on Goodwin Liu as a Supreme Court nominee," said Michael Gerhardt, a University of North Carolina law professor who advised committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) during the Sotomayor hearings.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/21/AR2010032102581.html


Previous posts

Progressives to rejoice, Obama nominates Goodwin Liu (Thu Feb-25-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7789498

Editorial: Liu is more than qualified to serve on appeals court (Mon Mar-01-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7816130

Fox News composes a hit piece on Obama nominee Goodwin Liu (Fri Mar-05-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7846137

Oakland Tribune: Obama judicial nominee already a target (Sat Mar-06-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7854860

9th Circuit candidate's career marked by rapid ascent, wide-ranging roles (Goodwin Liu) (Wed Mar-10-10)
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-goodwin-liu9-2010mar09,0,1301596.story

AP: Young appeals court nominee raises liberal hopes (Sun Mar-14-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7912313

Testimony of Professor Goodwin Liu on the Nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. January 10, 2006 (Tue Mar-16-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7925476&mesg_id=7925476

San Francisco Chronicle: Obama nominee Goodwin Liu an unassuming man (Tue Mar-16-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7929953

Senate Judiciary Committee schedules Goodwin Liu nomination hearing (Tue Mar-16-10)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7930102

[usregimechange]

1. According to WP he also was vocal in opposing Roberts

didn't know that...

[usregimechange]

2. "right-wing vision antagonistic to important rights and protections we currently enjoy."

Ibid

[msanthrope]

6. He said roberts would be a corporatist--he was correct.

[usregimechange]

3. He authored a book with Pamela Karlan

[msanthrope]

4. Repukes are afraid of this dude--he's smart, and a shortlist

to SCOTUS.

Also, he kicks originalist ass....I can't wait to see Jeff Sessions struggle to say something intelligent to Liu.

[usregimechange]

5. 2 days to wait

[msanthrope]

7. Sessions made a Ricky Ricardo reference to Sotomayor---

I can't imagine what must be percolating in that fevered KKK-elf brain vis-a-vis Liu.

[usregimechange]

8. No telling but I can't wait, I hope the Judiciary web site posts the right video this time

[msanthrope]

9. CSPAN will probably have a live feed via the web. n/t

[usregimechange]

10. Do you know which CSPAN?