Obama appoints Goodwin Liu, 39, "an unabashed liberal legal", to the federal appeals court

[impik]

WASHINGTON – Thirteen months into his presidency, Barack Obama finally gave liberal supporters the kind of judicial nominee they had sought and conservatives feared.

Goodwin Liu, 39, is an unabashed liberal legal scholar who, if confirmed, could become a force on the federal appeals court for decades. There's talk that in time, the Rhodes Scholar, former high court clerk and current assistant dean and law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, could be the first person of Asian descent chosen for the Supreme Court.

"I can easily imagine him" as a high court nominee, said Erwin Chemerinsky, a Liu supporter and dean of the law school at the University of California, Irvine.

Obama's choice of Liu for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco drew quick and vociferous criticism from conservatives. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, described Liu as "far outside the mainstream of American jurisprudence."

For the first time, Obama seemed to be taking a page from the playbook of recent Republican presidents who nominated conservatives in their 30s and 40s with the expectation they would have enduring influence in setting policy on the federal bench.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100313/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_judges_1

[Vincardog]

1. Bout damned time

[cali]

8. he named him a couple of weeks ago and it's hardly his first good pick

those of us paying attention know that.

[impik]

11. Paying attention is overrated

Bashing Obama is the only thing that worthwhile.

[saltpoint]

2. I like it. Great choice.

Rec'd.

[theoldman]

3. Better late than never.

This appears to be President Obama's modus operandi. The present supreme court has way too many conservatives and needs to be balanced.

[cali]

10. He can but replace members of the SC as they retire.

[rhett o rick]

4. It's a start. nt

[cali]

9. only it's not a start. this is one area where Obama has been doing a good job

I wish people would fucking pay attention.

[Diane R]

5. Yippee! He's on the 9th!

[onenote]

6. how is this possible. i've read here over and over how there's no difference between Obama and bush

[Grand Taurean]

7. Bring him up to the USSC! We need a 21st Century Brennan!

[jenmito]

12. K&R! I wonder what conspiracy theory Glenn Beck is going to come up with about THIS guy. n/t

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Well, Jeff Sessions hates him, so that's recommendation enough. nt

[saltpoint]

14. : )

:thumbsup:

[boppers]

15. Another Rhodes Scholar...

..*and* he clerked for Ginsberg. Nice pick.

[FrenchieCat]

16. Those are some pretty awesome qualifications!

Too bad for the Pukes! They ain't got those on their side...just dumbasses.

[Cha]

17. In your face, facists.