MMC
09-21-2020, 12:45 PM
Now that we know who the 2 women that Trump is looking at. I was favoring Amy Coney Barrett. But now I am reconsidering. Barbara Lagua. Due to being from Florida and that she is a Latina. Especially with Dementia Joe having trouble with Latinos. She would lock Florida in for Trump. Causing conniption fits for Democrats.
And based on multiple reports, the top two potential finalists are Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the Seventh Circuit, and Judge Barbara Lagoa of the Eleventh Circuit. A law professor at Notre Dame, Barrett was confirmed 55-43 (https://data.rgj.com/roll-call/confirmation-amy-coney-barrett-of-indiana-to-be-us-circuit-judge-for-the-seventh-circuit/2017-senate-00255/) (nearly exactly along party lines) to her current post in the fall of 2017, following a contentious process (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/11/opinion/the-dogma-of-dianne-feinstein.html). To be clear, I believe Barrett is a brilliant and capable jurist and would be thrilled if President Trump picks her. She's young (48), smart, and rock solid. She is the frontrunner for good reason. That being said, it's simply a reality that this nomination will be the subject of a pitched battle no matter who is named. And against that backdrop, I am coming around to the view that Judge Lagoa might be the more strategically savvy choice under the present circumstances -- and should at least get a very serious look for the top spot on the list. Consider:
(1) Lagoa's credentials (https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/Justices/Former-Justices/Justice-Barbara-Lagoa) are strong. Like Justice Ginsburg, she's a graduate of Columbia University's law school. She began her career on the bench as a lower court judge in Florida starting in 2006 (appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush) after serving as an Assistant US Attorney. She was elevated to the Florida Supreme Court by Gov. Ron DeSantis (who takes the issue of the courts very seriously) in January 2019, serving in that capacity for most of the year, until she was plucked from the state bench by Trump. The president nominated her for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Her resume practically screams "well qualified" -- which is how she was unanimously rated (https://ballotpedia.org/Barbara_Lagoa) by the left-leaning American Bar Association.
(2) Her personal story is also compelling, which is -- like it or not -- a relevant factor in an era of identity-focused politics. Lagoa is the daughter of Cuban-Americans who fled their homeland during the Communist revolution. She is young (she'll turn 53 the day before the November election), the mother of three daughters, and is said to have a vivacious personality. If confirmed, this "wise Latina (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sotomayor-explains-wise-latina-comment/)" would be the second-ever Hispanic member of the Supreme Court and only the fifth woman (the latter would also be true of Barrett). Democrats are likely to be extremely aggressive in opposing this nominee (just look at their outrageous conduct (https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2018/10/06/justice-gorsuch-justice-prevails-n2526063) during the Kavanaugh nomination), but the optics of beating up on a Latina would be less than ideal -- especially at a moment when Democrats are anxiously watching President Trump over-perform among Latino voters in the polls.
(5) A conservative source who's long known Lagoa attests that her conservative credentials are strong, despite a relatively thin record on hot-button cases. Conservatives often fear David Souter-style betrayals, and for good reason. This source says there is "zero chance" Lagoa, whom the source likens to Clarence Thomas, is a risk to become an Anthony Kennedy, let alone a Souter. She is said to have won the confidence of several very strong conservatives who are very familiar with her work. But let's say for the sake of argument that she could end up becoming, say, a John Roberts, who disappoints conservatives, sometimes seriously, on occasion (I have no reason to believe this would be the case, and it merits a mention that Lagoa has been involved with the Federalist Society for years). That would still be an immense ideological upgrade from Justice Ginsburg. Which is to say, I'm less fixated than I typically would be on the demonstrable philosophical bona fides of this particular nominee at this particular moment in time. Republicans will need to thread a needle, given the timing of this vacancy. A huge strategic consideration, under these conditions, must be making opposition as difficult as possible. A Barbara Lagoa nomination could present some real optics landmines for Democrats, and it would align with the Trump campaign's aggressive courtship of voters of color at the Republicans' August convention. In other words, it would play to Trump's instincts and strategy......snip~
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2020/09/21/the-case-for-barbara-lagoa-n2576544
And based on multiple reports, the top two potential finalists are Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the Seventh Circuit, and Judge Barbara Lagoa of the Eleventh Circuit. A law professor at Notre Dame, Barrett was confirmed 55-43 (https://data.rgj.com/roll-call/confirmation-amy-coney-barrett-of-indiana-to-be-us-circuit-judge-for-the-seventh-circuit/2017-senate-00255/) (nearly exactly along party lines) to her current post in the fall of 2017, following a contentious process (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/11/opinion/the-dogma-of-dianne-feinstein.html). To be clear, I believe Barrett is a brilliant and capable jurist and would be thrilled if President Trump picks her. She's young (48), smart, and rock solid. She is the frontrunner for good reason. That being said, it's simply a reality that this nomination will be the subject of a pitched battle no matter who is named. And against that backdrop, I am coming around to the view that Judge Lagoa might be the more strategically savvy choice under the present circumstances -- and should at least get a very serious look for the top spot on the list. Consider:
(1) Lagoa's credentials (https://www.floridasupremecourt.org/Justices/Former-Justices/Justice-Barbara-Lagoa) are strong. Like Justice Ginsburg, she's a graduate of Columbia University's law school. She began her career on the bench as a lower court judge in Florida starting in 2006 (appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush) after serving as an Assistant US Attorney. She was elevated to the Florida Supreme Court by Gov. Ron DeSantis (who takes the issue of the courts very seriously) in January 2019, serving in that capacity for most of the year, until she was plucked from the state bench by Trump. The president nominated her for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Her resume practically screams "well qualified" -- which is how she was unanimously rated (https://ballotpedia.org/Barbara_Lagoa) by the left-leaning American Bar Association.
(2) Her personal story is also compelling, which is -- like it or not -- a relevant factor in an era of identity-focused politics. Lagoa is the daughter of Cuban-Americans who fled their homeland during the Communist revolution. She is young (she'll turn 53 the day before the November election), the mother of three daughters, and is said to have a vivacious personality. If confirmed, this "wise Latina (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sotomayor-explains-wise-latina-comment/)" would be the second-ever Hispanic member of the Supreme Court and only the fifth woman (the latter would also be true of Barrett). Democrats are likely to be extremely aggressive in opposing this nominee (just look at their outrageous conduct (https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2018/10/06/justice-gorsuch-justice-prevails-n2526063) during the Kavanaugh nomination), but the optics of beating up on a Latina would be less than ideal -- especially at a moment when Democrats are anxiously watching President Trump over-perform among Latino voters in the polls.
(5) A conservative source who's long known Lagoa attests that her conservative credentials are strong, despite a relatively thin record on hot-button cases. Conservatives often fear David Souter-style betrayals, and for good reason. This source says there is "zero chance" Lagoa, whom the source likens to Clarence Thomas, is a risk to become an Anthony Kennedy, let alone a Souter. She is said to have won the confidence of several very strong conservatives who are very familiar with her work. But let's say for the sake of argument that she could end up becoming, say, a John Roberts, who disappoints conservatives, sometimes seriously, on occasion (I have no reason to believe this would be the case, and it merits a mention that Lagoa has been involved with the Federalist Society for years). That would still be an immense ideological upgrade from Justice Ginsburg. Which is to say, I'm less fixated than I typically would be on the demonstrable philosophical bona fides of this particular nominee at this particular moment in time. Republicans will need to thread a needle, given the timing of this vacancy. A huge strategic consideration, under these conditions, must be making opposition as difficult as possible. A Barbara Lagoa nomination could present some real optics landmines for Democrats, and it would align with the Trump campaign's aggressive courtship of voters of color at the Republicans' August convention. In other words, it would play to Trump's instincts and strategy......snip~
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2020/09/21/the-case-for-barbara-lagoa-n2576544