Judicial Nominee Goodwin Liu Filibustered by Senate Republicans

[Mopsus]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/55320.html

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[tpfkaw]

"Liu even received support from some prominent conservative legal figures, including Ken Starr and John Yoo."

Oh, that makes him sound so much better.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Does Ben Nelson really believes that he will get reelected with that kind of stunts?

[Franzl]

Does Ben Nelson really believes that he will get reelected with that kind of stunts?

Probably. He's not the brightest fellow out there.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Does Ben Nelson really believes that he will get reelected with that kind of stunts?

Probably. He's not the brightest fellow out there.

Yeah, I still remember him trying to explain that he voted for Sotomayor but against Kagan because Sotomayor was more popular among Nebraskans.

[Dgov]

Good for them.  Maybe we can finally get some regular 9th court nominees next time.

Also, how did this guy get nominated in the first place?  From what I can tell he has zero actual legal experience and was a just a law professor at Berkley.

[krazen1211]

Good for them.  Maybe we can finally get some regular 9th court nominees next time.

Also, how did this guy get nominated in the first place?  From what I can tell he has zero actual legal experience and was a just a law professor at Berkley.

He's a leftist hack who really attacked his would-be superior.

The GOP doesn't give a damn about the 9th circuit though. This is payback for Miguel Estrada and the other 9 filibustered Bush nominees.


It's questionable as to whether he would have even gotten 50 votes. Between Webb, Nelson, and the GOP there were already 49 committed no's.

[DrScholl]

What happened to the up or down vote? I guess that only applied to Republican nominees.

[krazen1211]

What happened to the up or down vote? I guess that only applied to Republican nominees.

What happened is the up or down votes didn't happen. Politicians don't believe in unilaterally disarming themselves.

[Dgov]

He's a leftist hack who really attacked his would-be superior.

I know that, but surely Obama could find much more qualified Leftist hacks to appoint instead.  Unless he was trying to play the racial angle (since Liu was hyped as the future 1st Asian SC nominee), this nomination made no sense.

I mean, with Sotomayer he obviously picked her as the first Hispanic SC nominee, but she was a fairly solid candidate in her own right, with a substantial legal record already.  Liu is not only a much more controversial figure, but also one where his nomination could realistically be opposed from a purely credential perspective.

[Landslide Lyndon]

He's a leftist hack who really attacked his would-be superior.

I know that, but surely Obama could find much more qualified Leftist hacks to appoint instead.  Unless he was trying to play the racial angle (since Liu was hyped as the future 1st Asian SC nominee), this nomination made no sense.

I mean, with Sotomayer he obviously picked her as the first Hispanic SC nominee, but she was a fairly solid candidate in her own right, with a substantial legal record already.  Liu is not only a much more controversial figure, but also one where his nomination could realistically be opposed from a purely credential perspective.

Where the hell do you get the idea that he is an unqualified ignoramus, selected only because of his race and "hackiness"? From what I've read he is considered one the brightest young jurists and people from the entire political spectrum have vouched for his intelligence and academic qualifications.

You can argue that his attack against Alito speaks ill of his character and temperament. But saying that he is not that bright and that his only qualifications are his race and ideology, seems to me like the epitome of "excessive hyperbole".

[DrScholl]

What happened is the up or down votes didn't happen. Politicians don't believe in unilaterally disarming themselves.

At the time, the talk about up or down vote was all about fairness and being bipartisan. We knew it wasn't really about that, but this latest filibuster proves it.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

He's a leftist hack who really attacked his would-be superior.

I know that, but surely Obama could find much more qualified Leftist hacks to appoint instead.  Unless he was trying to play the racial angle (since Liu was hyped as the future 1st Asian SC nominee), this nomination made no sense.

What qualifications do you look for in a judge at this level that a Berkeley law professor wouldn't have, out of curiosity? Would you insist on experience as a district court judge? Because that has never been a hard-and-fast prerequisite.

[krazen1211]

What happened is the up or down votes didn't happen. Politicians don't believe in unilaterally disarming themselves.

At the time, the talk about up or down vote was all about fairness and being bipartisan. We knew it wasn't really about that, but this latest filibuster proves it.

Well, that's why Senators Obama and Biden decided not to act bipartisan. But then, like now, nobody cares.

[krazen1211]

He's a leftist hack who really attacked his would-be superior.

I know that, but surely Obama could find much more qualified Leftist hacks to appoint instead.  Unless he was trying to play the racial angle (since Liu was hyped as the future 1st Asian SC nominee), this nomination made no sense.

What qualifications do you look for in a judge at this level that a Berkeley law professor wouldn't have, out of curiosity? Would you insist on experience as a district court judge? Because that has never been a hard-and-fast prerequisite.

Something outside the ivory tower of academia would help. You know, like how John Roberts became a lawyer after Biden squelched his nomination (the first time).

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

He's a leftist hack who really attacked his would-be superior.

I know that, but surely Obama could find much more qualified Leftist hacks to appoint instead.  Unless he was trying to play the racial angle (since Liu was hyped as the future 1st Asian SC nominee), this nomination made no sense.

What qualifications do you look for in a judge at this level that a Berkeley law professor wouldn't have, out of curiosity? Would you insist on experience as a district court judge? Because that has never been a hard-and-fast prerequisite.

Something outside the ivory tower of academia would help. You know, like how John Roberts became a lawyer after Biden squelched his nomination (the first time).

Roberts became a lawyer but he also became a corporate shill, though.

[Bacon King]

Major props to Murkowski for consistency, at least.

[Dgov]

He's a leftist hack who really attacked his would-be superior.

I know that, but surely Obama could find much more qualified Leftist hacks to appoint instead.  Unless he was trying to play the racial angle (since Liu was hyped as the future 1st Asian SC nominee), this nomination made no sense.

I mean, with Sotomayer he obviously picked her as the first Hispanic SC nominee, but she was a fairly solid candidate in her own right, with a substantial legal record already.  Liu is not only a much more controversial figure, but also one where his nomination could realistically be opposed from a purely credential perspective.

Where the hell do you get the idea that he is an unqualified ignoramus, selected only because of his race and "hackiness"? From what I've read he is considered one the brightest young jurists and people from the entire political spectrum have vouched for his intelligence and academic qualifications.

You can argue that his attack against Alito speaks ill of his character and temperament. But saying that he is not that bright and that his only qualifications are his race and ideology, seems to me like the epitome of "excessive hyperbole".

I would prefer nominees to one of the 3rd highest courts in the US to have at least ONE CASE under their belt.  I don't care how smart people think he is--Intelligence is not what i value in the major court system.  I prefer our nominees to be a bunch of old geezers who've practiced law in some form or another for years on end, so they have a grounding in reality other than the Berkely Law department.

Arguing that being "Intelligent" should be qualifications enough is like arguing that A recent Economics graduate with a 4.0 GPA is completely qualified to serve as treasury secretary.  I know too many "Intelligent" college students to think that performance in the academic world is analogous to having actual responsibilities in the real world.  You have to break them in for a couple of years first at least.

If he were to spend the next 10 years working cases and was reappointed when he was 50, I'd be fine with that (at least his qualifications).  But as of right now it feels like we're just appointing a liberal legal celebrity rather than someone actually qualified to serve.