GOP Poised to Thwart Obama's Liu Appointment

Senate Republicans appear to have the upper hand over President Barack Obama in their effort to keep liberal Goodwin Liu from serving on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Politico reports.

Democrats will need seven Republicans to join them in support of Liu to fight off a filibuster, but some key Republicans say they won’t back him. That includes John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Mark Kirk of Illinois.


McCain and Graham haven’t blocked any other nominees this year. But they are upset with Liu’s testimony during the confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.


At the time, Liu said Alito’s “record envisions an America where police may shoot and kill an unarmed boy to stop him from running away with a stolen purse . . . where a black man may be sentenced to death by an all-white jury for killing a white man.”