Comments on: AP: Cal prof’s judicial appointment doomed

By: Obama renominates Goodwin Liu to 9th Circuit | Political Blotter

Obama renominates Goodwin Liu to 9th Circuit | Political Blotter — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:36:26 +0000

[...] Hall Law School, to a seat on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, weeks after Senate leaders cut a deal not to seek his confirmation in the final hours of the last [...]

By: Ralph Hoffmann

Ralph Hoffmann — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:49:50 +0000

RR, you and I both know why you’re uninvited!

By: Violet

Violet — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:37:27 +0000

@Jerome Pandell: You assert that Liu, “served as an an appellate litigator at O’Melveny & Myers in Washington, D.C., arguing cases before federal courts just like the one on which he’ll serve.” This implies that Liu argued many cases, as did both CJ Roberts and J Alito.

Fact: Liu served as a junior associate at O’Melveny for a total of 19 months. He argued ONE case, a pro bono asylum case, which he lost. So his court record is 0-1, pretty undistinguished. The Democrats have built up quite a myth about how great Liu is, but there is simply no factual basis to compare Liu to John Roberts, who was an outstanding (and experienced) advocate when he took the bench.

Even more galling: that Liu launched broadside attacks against the nominations of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, testifying before the Senate that Alito was “outside the judicial mainstream,” and that presented grounds to deny confirmation. Liu should be held to the exact same standard he himself sought to apply to Roberts and Alito.

By: RR, Uninvited Columnist

RR, Uninvited Columnist — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:32:27 +0000

Justice Scalia went hunting with Dick Cheney and didn’t get shot in the face? Great!

By: John W

John W — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 03:01:33 +0000

Mike F — Seems to me that Kenneth Starr, who endorsed Liu, has at least as good a feel for his qualifications as any of us on this blog. You say you want someone with at least 20 years experience. You mean like Clarence Thomas, whose legal experience consisted of 3 years as Missouri Assistant Attorney General (that’s what all the staff attorneys are called) and 3 years in corporate law prior to Bush 41 appointing him to the Court of Appeals? Or like Scalia, whose legal experience (other than being a law professor at Virginia and Chicago) consisted of 6 years in corporate law and two years in President Ford’s Office of Legal Counsel, during which his only courtroom experience consisted of arguing one case before the Supremes? I suspect your real concern is that he’s from UC Berkeley and that he doesn’t have the Federalist Society seal of approval. If he were a Bush appointee, Republicans would call him a brilliant rising star constitutional scholar.

By: Mike F.

Mike F. — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 01:29:55 +0000

I said this before, so I’ll say it again. Per Mr. Liu’s profile at UC Berkeley website he graduated in 1998, so that’s only 12 years of job experience. He’s been on faculty at UCB since 2003, so that’s only 7 years of non-academic work. Geez, let him do some work at the County DA’s office or as a public defender. I want to know that he’s got adequate courtroom experience before he works at a high judicial post. Why can’t the administration find someone with at least 20 years experience that’s dealt with a wide variety of issues.

By: Jerome Pandell

Jerome Pandell — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:30:21 +0000

Professor Liu is more than qualified to serve as an appellate judge. Before becoming a professor and associate dean at U.C. Berkeley Law, much like Chief Justice John Roberts, he served as an an appellate litigator at O’Melveny & Myers in Washington, D.C., arguing cases before federal courts just like the one on which he’ll serve. He clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and for Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He also served as special assistant to the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education and as senior program officer for higher education at the Corporation for National Service (AmeriCorps).

Sorry, RR, but Liu has the bona fides just as John Roberts and Samuel Alito did. Senators are entitled to vote against confirmation, but he deserves an up-or-down vote.

By: RR, Uninvited Columnist

RR, Uninvited Columnist — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:52:09 +0000

Dr Liu’s “belief” about applying contemporary conditions to old law is not a “progressive” position per se. Precedent cannot be ignored but nor can it be used to prohibit new applications of the law, at least in America’s experience. Dr. Liu has no judicial background; indeed, his experience seems mainly to consist of special pleading for “progressive” causes.