The Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing for controversial Berkeley professor Goodwin Liu, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, has been postponed. The Senate has been embroiled in the fight over reconciliation “fixes” to the Democrats’ national health care plan, and Republicans have raised the so-called “two-hour” rule to slow down some Senate activities. (The rule allows the minority party to shut down the Senate after two hours of business.) The Liu hearing is one of the events affected by the GOP slowdown, and Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy says the hearing will be rescheduled “at the earliest possible time.”
Liu is nominated for a spot on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. His far-left views make him a controversial choice even for that very liberal circuit, and Republicans on the Judiciary Committee had been prepared to question him on an extensive list of issues. For a look at Liu’s views, see “Unsound and Unfit,” from National Review’s Ed Whelan.
