STAY INFORMED
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May 12, 2010
The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy, Chairman
Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: 202‐224‐9516
The Honorable Jeff Sessions, Ranking Member
Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
152 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: 202‐224‐9102
Dear Members of the Judiciary Committee:
We write in our personal capacities on behalf of our law school classmate, Professor Goodwin Liu, who recently testified before your committee as a judicial nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
We were Goodwin’s classmates at Yale Law School. Attending law school can be an intense experience, during which classmates get to know each other intimately through sharing, debating, and challenging each other’s thoughts, reasoning, and views on many aspects of the law. We studied, worked, and learned alongside Goodwin for three years, and had the opportunity to observe and know him as few others could. The portrait of Goodwin that emerged from our experience with him is one of an extremely smart and hardworking colleague, widely respected equally for his intellect as for his open‐mindedness, ability to understand all sides of an issue, and respect for contrary views and those who held them. He was always even‐tempered and unassuming, never one to promote himself or impose his views on others. Goodwin was unafraid to challenge orthodoxy, whether liberal or conservative, and he approached all issues with a discerning, independent mind.
It surprised no one in our class that Goodwin went on to clerk at the Supreme Court, became a law professor at a top law school, and has become a well‐known author whose rigorous scholarship and legal acumen are respected even by those who disagree with him, and has accomplished so much already in his career. His qualifications for the bench are outstanding, and we can confidently say, based on what we know first‐hand, that Goodwin would approach every case with diligence, care, and impartiality. He would be a generous and trustworthy colleague, and he would fully embrace and faithfully discharge his duty to follow the law. No one can doubt Goodwin’s intellect, and no one who knows him well can doubt his integrity or commitment to the rule of law.
Although we represent diverse areas of legal practice, have widely ranging legal philosophies, and possess differing political views, we comfortably agree that in our personal opinions, Goodwin is a person of unassailable integrity, remarkable intellect, carefully considered views, a measured temperament, and a commitment to the rule of law.
We urge you to confirm Goodwin Liu. He is eminently qualified and possesses the intellect, discipline, and temperament to serve with the utmost distinction on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
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John G. Balestriere Elena A. Baylis, Associate Professor, Jeanette Melendez Bead, Partner, Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, L.L.P. Robert A. Bonta, Deputy City Attorney, San Julius Buchanan Jennifer M. Chacon, Professor of Law, Edward Chang, New Haven, Connecticut Steve Charnovitz, Associate Professor, George Partha P. Chattoraj, Partner, Markowitz & Gregory S. Chernack, Partner, Hollingsworth Andrew Chin, Associate Professor, University Iris Chiu, New York, New York Polly A. Clark, Charlottesville, Virginia Alicia Davis, Ann Arbor, Michigan J. Benjamin Davis, Partner, Brooks, Pierce, Melvin T. Davis, Private Equity Professional Marie DeFalco, New York and New Jersey Derek R. Douglas, Special Assistant to the Ariela Dubler, Professor of Law, Columbia Lawrence Liu, Los Angeles, California Andrea Luby, Kansas City, Missouri Joseph W. Luby, Attorney, Public Interest Juli Ann Lund, Counsel, Williams & Connolly John Ma, Goldman, Sachs & Co. Gerard N. Magliocca, Professor of Law, Paul S. Mandell, CEO, Consero Group LLC Hannah C. McElhinny, Deputy Trial Chief, Dmitri L. Mehlhorn Robin M. Meriweather, Washington, D.C. Paul H. Meyer, Chairman & President, Voxiva, Gail H. Miller, Brooklyn, New York Marshall L. Miller, Brooklyn, New York Allison H. Moore, Programme Manager - Hari M. Osofsky, Associate Professor, Daniel W. Park, Chief Campus Counsel, Amanda T. Perez, New York, New York Erik S. Pitchal, Assistant Clinical Professor of Susannah Pollvogt Richard A. Primus, Professor of Law, The |
Kianga Ellis, Founder, Avail Art LLC Matthew J. Fader, Baltimore, Maryland J. Steven Farr, Washington, D.C. Jesse M. Furman, New York, New York Jonathan D. Glater, Director of Academic Camille Gear Rich, Associate Professor of Law, Robin S. Golden, Selma M. Levine Clinical Robert M. Gordon Rachel J. Harris, Los Angeles, California Kendra Kekelis Hartman, Chicago, Illinois Stephen J. Hess Damon J. Hemmerdinger, Principal, ATCO Janile Hill, Chicago, Illinois Joel D. Hornstein, Founder & Chief Investment Steven M. Juris, New York, New York Benjamin S. Kerschberg, Co‐Founder and VP, Mark H. Kim, Partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson Matthew Klein, Executive Director, Blue Ridge Jonathan M. Landy, Bethesda, Maryland Cynji Lee, Assistant County Attorney for Amy L. Levine, Washington, D.C. Sonja Petersen Rodman, Arlington, Virginia Andrea Roth, Teaching Fellow, Stanford Law Michael Rubin, Washington, D.C. Amy M. Sanford, Nashville, Tennessee Gregory R. Schwartz, M.D., Brigham and Peter Schwartz, Partner, Covington & Burling Thomas E. Shakow, Washington, D.C. Alison Siegler, Assistant Clinical Professor of Jason Small, Takoma Park, Maryland Craig Spruce, New York, New York Joshua Steinglass, New York, New York Gloria Tan, Clinical Instructor, Harvard Law Mark Trachtenberg, Partner, Haynes and Tanya Hairston Whitner, Atlanta, Georgia P. Renée Wicklund, Of Counsel, Kirkland & Harry M. Wingo, Washington, D.C. Andrea R. Wood Monica Y. Youn Jonathan Zhu, Partner, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati P.C. |