UC Berkeley Law Professor, Goodwin Liu, was nominated last week by President Obama to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Ninth is the largest of thirteen similar courts in the United States with the highest percentage of active judges appointed by Democratic presidents. Should Liu be confirmed, what ramifications will there be? Liu has been outspoken, to the point of being offensive, about Chief Justice John Roberts: “[His] record is cause for concern…his legal career is studded with activities unfriendly to civil rights, abortion rights, and the environment.” Unfriendly? The role of the judiciary is not to be friendly, or, unfriendly to any particular viewpoint, but to interpret the law as it exists in an impartial fashion.
Kent Scheidegger, a California-based expert on criminal law, points out Liu’s standpoint on the death penalty: ”[He] takes the murderers’ side on every debatable point. If confirmed, there is no doubt in my mind that he will be a vote to obstruct the enforcement of capital punishment in virtually every case.” For someone about to assume such an influential post, Liu appears to have just purchased property on Glass House Lane; he should take a few moments to drop any heavy objects in his possession and reflect upon his volatile and potentially hazardous views.
Liu recently became chairman of the board for a progressive group that calls itself the American Constitution Society; it (and Liu’s publication, Keeping Faith with the Constitution) champions his view of the document keeping pace with the country’s current norms and values. Our nation’s current norms and values are founded in the same fundamental principles espoused by our founding fathers. A departure from such, by way of extremist ideals, threatens the very freedoms this country was founded upon and has continued to enjoy. Perhaps Liu should have considered the legislature instead of the judiciary so he could CHANGE the law as it seems he is driven to do.
Over time, these shifts will invariably deviate from tenets set forth by our founding fathers, setting a dangerous precedent indeed. This concept finds many feeling that he would not fit within the mainstream of a ruling body. Lady Justice shall keep tabs on the nomination process as it unfolds.
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on Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 5:03 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.
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Anybody nominated for anything by obama is dangerous.
I agree with sablegsd….I worry about
our guarantees of freedom. Me thinks
President Obama will figure out a way
to deny americans their first, second
and fourteenth amendments.
I like the statement “Liu should have considered the Legislature” since he wants to change the Constitution.
It needs to be read in its original meaning with its amendments and Bill of Rights as they are simply stated. All the twisting and spinning and slanting is POISON.
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