Senate Vote Scheduled Tomorrow for Liu Appointment to 9th Circuit, Filibuster Feared
The Senate vote regarding judicial nominee Goodwin Liu, who has drawn significant criticism from Republican leaders, is scheduled for tomorrow, and politicians on both sides of the aisle are wondering if there will be a filibuster, the Los Angeles Times reports.
President Barack Obama has twice appointed the University of California at Berkeley law professor to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday filed a motion to limit debate on Liu’s nomination; it requires 60 votes to pass. Liu’s supporters need at least seven Republicans to cross party lines and allow a final vote, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports.
A former clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Liu’s supporters say he has a brilliant legal mind and follows mainstream American jurisprudence, according to the Los Angeles Times. And at 40, if he were to ascend to the 9th Circuit, it’s highly possible he could be the first Asian-American nominee to the Supreme Court at some point in his career.
