Senate Democrats defended Goodwin Liu's candidacy for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday, a day after the GOP suggested his nomination might be in jeopardy because he had not provided enough information to a Senate committee.
Liu, a University of California at Berkeley law professor nominated by President Obama in February, is scheduled for an April 16 hearing before the Judiciary Committee, and the fight over his nomination escalated this week in anticipation of that session.
Activists on both the left and right view Liu's nomination to the 9th Circuit as a practice run for the next Supreme Court vacancy, which could come as soon as this year if Justice John Paul Stevens decides to retire. Some Democrats view Liu himself as a potential nominee to the Supreme Court further down the line.
On Tuesday, Liu sent 117 items to the committee, a "supplement" to an earlier questionnaire he filled out on his record, including articles he wrote and events in which he participated but neglected to include in his original submission. The committee's seven Republicans -- led by ranking member Jeff Sessions (Ala.) -- responded with a scathing letter to panel Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.).
"At best, this nominee's extraordinary disregard for the Committee's constitutional role demonstrates incompetence; at worst, it creates the impression that he knowingly attempted to hide his most controversial work from the Committee," they wrote. "Professor Liu's unwillingness to take seriously his obligation to complete these basic forms is potentially disqualifying and has placed his nomination in jeopardy."
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