If they’ve got to go with a woman, I vote Maureen Mahoney (my first pick remains McConnell).

Much of the commentary about her is that she’s super qualified, brilliant and conservative. The only drawback according to many is that she took the pro-quota position in the University of Michigan case.

Well, maybe I’m making a smidgen of news here, but I think that’s been overblown. Here’s why: Mahoney took a very strong anti-gender preferences position on Title IX arguing on behalf of Brown University. You’d know that if you’d read my lovely bride’s pathbreaking book Tilting the Playing Field. Taking an anti-Title IX position is, in some quarters, even more of a heresy than taking on racial quotas. In other quarters it’s a close second.

Of course, one could simply argue that she was being a good lawyer for Brown and showing her true colors in the Michigan case. But, after an exclusive interview with my wife — she took my call! — I can say that she thinks Mahoney’s views are more anti-quota than working for Michigan might superficially suggest.

Since the Michigan thing is the only argument I’ve ever heard against Mahoney (See Red State, for example) I figured it’d be worth throwing that out there.