In a significant setback for Ninth Circuit nominee Goodwin Liu, Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland—a Democrat who sits on the Judiciary Committee—announced today that he will vote against Liu’s confirmation for the following reasons:

I am not convinced Goodwin Liu has the experience for this position.
I start with the undisputed fact about Goodwin Liu’s record. By his own admission, Goodwin Liu has never written a single judicial opinion.
A nominee for circuit court judge should have experience in writing substantive judicial opinions. Goodwin Liu does not have this requisite experience.
A nominee for circuit court judge should have broad experience in both criminal and civil cases. Goodwin Liu does not have this requisite experience.
A nominee for circuit court judge should have broad experience on Federal court issues and in the complex questions, often of first impression, of Federal law, statutory law, and constitutional interpretation that are routinely raised. Goodwin Liu does not have this requisite experience.

Okay, I’m kidding. In fact, Cardin offered those very reasons in 2007 in explaining why he was voting against the confirmation of Jennifer W. Elrod to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In marked contrast to Liu’s inexperience, Elrod had five years as a state judge at the time and had previously been in private practice for eight years.

Cardin will surely stick to his standard in voting on the Liu nomination, right?