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From Kung Fu to 9th Circuit
We learn via How Appealing that the U.S. Senate thinks enough of Sandra Segal Ikuta to confirm her by a vote of 81-0 yesterday to serve on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. We care, of course, about what the Senate thinks. And we note that the American Bar Association gave Ikuta its highest rating of "well qualified." But what really matters, of course, is what bloggers have to say, and they, too, seem to offer a general thumbs-up.
When President Bush nominated Ikuta in February, Justin Scheck at Legal Pad noted that although she had been under the radar as a candidate for the seat, she had the credentials to qualify her:
"[T]he current deputy secretary and general counsel of the California Resources Agency seems to have some pretty good federal court credibility, if not a judgeship, to her name, along with a Masters in journalism from Columbia. Ikuta clerked for Ninth Circuit Judge Alex Kozinski and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor before becoming a partner at O’Melveny & Myers specializing in environmental law."
Later, writing in The Recorder, Scheck reported that Ikuta has a mind "as fast as lightning" and once served as editor of martial arts magazines including Inside Kung Fu.
The conservative blog Confirm Them notes that Ikuta takes the 9th Circuit seat formerly occupied by JFK's last judicial appointee, James R. Browning, who took senior status in 2000 after 39 years of service. Of Ikuta, Confirm Them says:
"Whatever her judicial philosophy ultimately turns out to be, Ikuta is considered a well-qualified candidate to join the federal bench. She received an A.B. from Berkeley, an M.S. from Columbia, and a J.D. from UCLA. She clerked for Alex Kozinski on the Ninth Circuit and then Sandra Day O’Connor at the Supreme Court. She then spent fourteen years in private practice with O’Melveny and Myers before Governor Schwarzenegger made her General Counsel of the California Resources Agency in 2004."
Eugene Volokh offers Ikuta his congratulations and notes that she is a graduate of the law school where he is on the faculty.
Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi on June 20, 2006 at 05:09 PM | Permalink
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