Earlier this week, we covered Stanford law professor Pam Karlan’s testimony during the Democrat impeachment circus: Democrats’ Star Impeachment “Witness” Mocks 13-year-old Barron Trump in Hearings UPDATE/S: FLOTUS Responds. As noted in that post, Karlan once stated that she “had” to cross the street to avoid walking in front of the Trump hotel.
Karlan, who worked in Obama’s Justice Department, was reportedly considered by Obama for the Supreme Court in 2009. Obama ultimately rejected her, allegedly because she was too radical.
Back in 2009, Karlan was one of the frontrunners to be nominated to the Supreme Court. An outspoken champion of gay rights, criminal defendants’ rights and voting rights, she was viewed by many as the Antonia Scalia of the left.Barack Obama instead took the Bill Clinton strategy and selected a shortlist of judges with moderate sensibilities which included two federal appeals judges, Sonia Sotomayor of New York and Diane P. Wood of Chicago, and two members of his administration, Solicitor General Elena Kagan and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Sotomayor was eventually nominated and confirmed to the Supreme Court.“If you talk about somebody who’s a true liberal, a very strong progressive and a visionary architect of the law and jurisprudence, then you’re talking about somebody like Pam Karlan at Stanford. And nobody is seriously talking about Pam Karlan.” Thomas C. Goldstein, partner at Goldstein & Russell., told the New York Times in 2009.Barack Obama’s decision to select judges with more moderate sensibilities angered liberals but did not surprise Karlan. “Would I like to be on the Supreme Court?” she asked in graduation remarks at Stanford Law School in 2009. “You bet I would. But not enough to have trimmed my sails for half a lifetime.”
Justice Sotomayor was nominated to replace retiring Justice David Souter in May of 2009 and confirmed that August.
It’s worth noting that at that time, Obama had supermajorities in both Houses of Congress and could have, theoretically at least, nominated and had confirmed to the high court any angry, unhinged leftist he wanted. He chose . . . not Karlan.
Indeed, love or hate her politics, Sotomayor is not an angry, unhinged person and conducts herself in a way that maintains the dignity of the Supreme Court. I am reasonably sure that she would neither attack the president’s 13-year-old child in a House hearing nor chuckle about crossing the street to avoid Trump hotel cooties.
At the time, the New York Times lamented the fact that “Favorites of Left Don’t Make Obama’s Court List.”
Pamela S. Karlan is a champion of gay rights, criminal defendants’ rights and voting rights. She is considered brilliant, outspoken and, in her own words, “sort of snarky.” To liberal supporters, she is an Antonin Scalia for the left.
But Ms. Karlan does not expect President Obama to appoint her to succeed Justice David H. Souter, who is retiring. “Would I like to be on the Supreme Court?” she asked in graduation remarks a couple of weeks ago at Stanford Law School, where she teaches. “You bet I would. But not enough to have trimmed my sails for half a lifetime.”
While there are clear political advantages to Mr. Obama if the perception is that he has avoided an ideological choice, Ms. Karlan’s absence from his list of finalists has frustrated part of the president’s base, which hungers for a full-throated, unapologetic liberal torchbearer to counter conservatives like Justice Scalia.
It has been more than 40 years since a Democratic president appointed someone who truly excited the left, but Mr. Obama appears to be following President Bill Clinton’s lead in choosing someone with more moderate sensibilities.
Too extreme for Obama? When he had supermajorities in both Houses? When he was still in the “honeymoon” phase of his presidency in May of ’09? And when he still promised the “fundamental transformation” of our great country?
Fast forward to 2019, and this radical Obama SCOTUS reject is a star witness for the Democrat impeachment circus.
It’s surreal how completely the Democrats have removed themselves from any semblance of rational thought when it comes to their impeachment obsession.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY