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5.27.2010

call your senators to support goodwin liu

As you know, Professor Goodwin Liu's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit was voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 13 and is now being considered by the full Senate.

You can support Professor Liu by calling your Senators at 202-224-3121 and asking them to vote for Professor Liu. Here's some more info, courtesy of the Asian American Justice Center:
Call Your Senators Today!

Every state has two Senators. Call them at (202) 224-3121. Ask the operator to connect you directly to your Senators.

When your Senator's office picks up, introduce yourself and say:
  • Goodwin Liu's nomination is important to me and the Asian American community.
  • Goodwin Liu's nomination is entitled to a full vote by the Senate and I would like to see his confirmation move forward without delay.

    Remember to call your second Senator!
  • Who is Goodwin Liu?
    Goodwin Liu is the Associate Dean and Professor of Law at UC Berkeley School of Law and is a recognized scholar on educational and constitutional law. President Obama nominated Professor Liu to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

    The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Professor Liu has a wide range of experiences that make him well-qualified to be a judge. He is a distinguished graduate of Stanford University, Oxford University, and Yale Law School, a Rhodes Scholar, and a former Supreme Court clerk. He has also worked as a corporate litigator and as a key education policy advisor for the Corporation for National Services (AmeriCorps) and the U.S. Department of Education. In 2003, Professor Liu returned to his home state of California to join the faculty of UC Berkeley School of Law and quickly earned tenure and promotion to Associate Dean in five years. Professor Liu has support from community leaders, law enforcement, professors, educators, and prosecutors from across the political spectrum.
    Why should we support Goodwin Liu?
    Asian Pacific Americans are significantly underrepresented in the judiciary. Your Senators' votes to confirm Professor Liu would ensure greater Asian Pacific American representation in the federal judiciary. Professor Liu's confirmation would be a monumental step in building a foundation for Asian Pacific Americans to strive and serve on all levels of the judicial system.

    Prior to the recent confirmation of Judge Denny Chin to the Second Circuit, there were no Asian Pacific Americans among about 175 active federal appellate judges.
  • Only five Asian Pacific Americans have served as federal appellate court judges
  • Out of approximately 875 federal judgeships only 10 are Asian Pacific Americans.
  • Professor Liu is the second APA federal appellate court nominee by President Obama.

    President Obama has nominated nine Asian Pacific Americans, which surpasses the total number of active Asian Pacific Americans serving on the federal bench prior to his presidency. We are excited at the prospect of more Asian Pacific American judicial nominees.
  • Seeing Goodwin Liu confirmed would be amazing, and would open a huge door to seeing greater Asian Pacific American representation in the federal judiciary. For more information about what you can do to support Goodwin Liu's confirmation, go to the Asian American Justice Center's website here.