senate judiciary committee advances goodwin liu's nomination

Goodwin Liu, President Obama's pick for a seat on the San Francisco-based Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, survived his first Senate test today but still face strong Republican opposition: Goodwin Liu Approved By Senate Judiciary Committee, Faces Strong GOP Opposition.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-7 along party lines to recommend his confirmation. The true test now will be if Obama and congressional Democrats can get Liu -- who, for many, is controversial for his liberal views -- through the Senate:

While it's unclear whether Republicans will try to block a vote, a clear sign of trouble came from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Judiciary Committee who has broken with his party on some judicial nominees, including Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

"I'm in the camp that you can be an active Democrat ... and still sit on the bench," Graham said. "But this guy's a bridge too far for me. He should take those views and run for office."

And of course, for some conservatives, there's also that looming fear that President Obama might later seek to elevate Liu to the Supreme Court. Oooh, scary. Scary awesome.

If confirmed, Liu would be only the second Asian American on a federal appellate court. Denny Chin was confirmed for the New York-based Second Circuit on April 22. More here: Liu Nomination Advances.