On Twitter, the Constitutional Accountability Center notes that today is the one-year anniversary of Goodwin Liu's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. From the original nomination:
President Obama said, “Goodwin Liu and Robert Chatigny have proven themselves to be not only first-rate legal minds but faithful public servants. It is with full confidence in their ability, integrity, and independence that I nominate them to the bench of the United States Court of Appeals.”
Goodwin Liu is eminently qualified for the Ninth Circuit, which is why he hasn't been confirmed; conservatives have opposed his nomination for fear that he will eventually end up on the Supreme Court. Which isn't a problem; I don't expect conservatives to support a liberal nominee to the judiciary. But an up-or-down vote is a reasonable request, and for a year, Republicans have denied Liu a confirmation vote. Granted, apathetic Democrats deserve some blame for the situation -- President Obama has been less than vocal about getting his nominees confirmed -- but it's hard to overstate the extent to which Republican obstruction has damage the judicial nomination process. Liu deserves a spot on the bench, but absent reform -- or a few more Democratic senators -- I have a hard time seeing how that happens.
