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Wall Street Journal Columist,Taranto: The Case for Choosing Viet Dinh as SOCTUS Justice
Wall Street Journal, Best of the Web ^ | 9/9/2005 | James Taranto

Posted on 09/10/2005 12:14:19 PM PDT by SirLinksalot

Friday, September 9, 2005 4:45 p.m.

Justice Dinh

Now that President Bush has announced that Judge John Roberts will replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist, he must appoint a replacement for Roberts as a replacement for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. As Manuel Miranda noted yesterday, the common assumption has been that he will choose either a woman or a member of an ethnic minority, especially a Hispanic. We'd like to suggest a candidate who fits the "minority" requirement, although he isn't a Hispanic: Viet Dinh.

Dinh is a professor at Georgetown Law School and served for two years as an assistant attorney general. His academic specialties, according to his Justice Department bio, cover a broad range: constitutional law, corporation law, and the law and economics of development. The Georgetown press release announcing his return to academia in 2003 notes his governmental accomplishments:

Dinh led the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy since May 31, 2001, and in that time, he contributed to a number of key Administration policy initiatives most notably in the drafting and implementing of the USA PATRIOT Act. He also spearheaded the revision of the Attorney General's Guidelines, which govern the conduct of federal law enforcement activities and national security investigations. In addition, Dinh represented the Department of Justice in the process of selecting and confirming judges to the federal bench, securing the confirmation of 23 United States Court of Appeals and 100 District Court judges in the past two years.

Why Viet Dinh? He's young: 37 to be exact. If he lives as long as William Rehnquist, he could still be on the court in 2048. He has a compelling personal story: born in Saigon, South Vietnam, in 1968, he came to America as a refugee at age 10 after his country fell to the communist.

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: govwatch; justice; scotus; supremecourt; taranto; vietdinh
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To: Last Dakotan

<<<<
Nope, new to me. I am just sick of both parties now playing the racial spoils game.
>>>>

I can understand your frustrations. But whether we like it or not, Politics is often involved in SCOTUS nominations.

I believe that John Roberts was promoted to Chief Justice as a matter of nomination for Bush to kill two birds with one stone ( i.e., if they are going to grill this guy, might as well let them go all the ways since Roberts will get in anyway. Scalia or Thomas would have been the logical Chief Justice choice, but why a newbee ? Answer -- as a matter of neutralizationn. In other words -- TO BE PRAGMATIC ).

Selecting a WELL-QUALIFIED CONSERVATIVE WHO AT THE SAME TIME IS A MINORITY is also a pragmatic approach. It might help avoid an ugly war, neutralizes the charge that the GOP is a "white only" party ( as Howard Dean likes to charge), and well -- we still get a conservative, brillant jurist in court.

FYI, When Viet Dinh was nominated to the Justice Department, his confirmation was ALMOST unanimous except for the dissenting vote of sHrillary. She was very indictive because Dinh worked to prosecute the Whitewater fraud.


21 posted on 09/10/2005 12:50:12 PM PDT by SirLinksalot
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To: DoughtyOne
If someone wants to make the case for appointing a woman, I can understand that.

Why? I'm sure you're not suggesting that the women who have been appointed so far have been great choices!

22 posted on 09/10/2005 12:55:15 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("The young folks call it country ... the Yankees call it dumb ..." ~Johnny Cash)
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To: leadpenny

That's a valid question. I'd rather play neither, but we are replacing a woman. I think it's reasonable for people to desire to replace her with another. Should it be a slam dunk female appointment? I don't think it needs to be. Realizing that a request is reasonable, is not the same as thinking the request should be honored no matter what.


23 posted on 09/10/2005 12:58:49 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (US socialist liberalism would be dead without the help of politicians who claim to be conservative.)
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To: DoughtyOne

"I'd rather play neither"

Me too, but probably won't happen in my children's lifetime.


24 posted on 09/10/2005 1:12:56 PM PDT by leadpenny
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To: roses of sharon

Is he Pro-Life?


25 posted on 09/10/2005 1:18:28 PM PDT by zzen01
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To: SirLinksalot

Reading his background, we know Might Mouse would vote against him.

But I like the idea of a 37 year old Justice. :-)


26 posted on 09/10/2005 1:24:34 PM PDT by Soul Seeker (Barbour/Honore in '08)
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To: DoughtyOne

Race doesn't mean a lot to me. If anything about his background other than qualifications interests me it is that he is from South Vietnam and I'd love to shove that up the noses of the commie loving Dems.

That and his age. I'll admit I'm biased toward youth for the courts. :-D


27 posted on 09/10/2005 1:27:32 PM PDT by Soul Seeker (Barbour/Honore in '08)
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To: SirLinksalot
Put a dress on him and he will be OK with the RATS.
28 posted on 09/10/2005 1:28:29 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Mesocons for Rice '08)
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To: Tax-chick

Good point, but then something like 65 to 70% of women voted for Clinton. I'm certainly not going to push for the revocation of female voting rights.

I would suspect Bush would appoint a sound person to the position be it male or female.


29 posted on 09/10/2005 1:30:39 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (US socialist liberalism would be dead without the help of politicians who claim to be conservative.)
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To: leadpenny

Thanks for the comments leadpenny.


30 posted on 09/10/2005 1:31:48 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (US socialist liberalism would be dead without the help of politicians who claim to be conservative.)
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To: DoughtyOne

I'd be willing to stop voting, if it would guarantee that Clinton-schmoozers didn't vote, either!

One hopes for the best from President Bush's appointees, certainly, and there are good choices who are female.


31 posted on 09/10/2005 1:31:58 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("The young folks call it country ... the Yankees call it dumb ..." ~Johnny Cash)
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To: Soul Seeker

Gotta admit, that South Vietnam aspect appealed to me as well. While I don't necessarily disagree with some youth on the court, if you make a bad appointment, you could be looking at a number of decades befor a vacancy in that position opened up.


32 posted on 09/10/2005 1:33:40 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (US socialist liberalism would be dead without the help of politicians who claim to be conservative.)
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To: Tax-chick

Can't argue with any of that. Thanks for the additional comments.


33 posted on 09/10/2005 1:35:00 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (US socialist liberalism would be dead without the help of politicians who claim to be conservative.)
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To: DoughtyOne

Any time!


34 posted on 09/10/2005 1:35:31 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("The young folks call it country ... the Yankees call it dumb ..." ~Johnny Cash)
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To: zzen01

Well, I always assumed so, but of course I should not assume!

I'll have to check it out.


35 posted on 09/10/2005 2:14:20 PM PDT by roses of sharon
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To: paul in cape

I remember watching him on Cspan defending the patriot act. Dude is quick


36 posted on 09/10/2005 2:15:47 PM PDT by SShultz460
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To: SirLinksalot

If Bush managed to put a 37-year-old conservative justice on the Court, he might cause a number of liberal pundits to have strokes. The first four U.S. Presidents selected justices who were under 40 when they joined the court: James Iredell (Washington), Bushrod Washington (Adams), William Johnson (Jefferson), and Joseph Story (Madison). Of course, that was back in the days when the court was supposed to interpret the law, not make it.


37 posted on 09/10/2005 2:35:56 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: SirLinksalot

He was a commentator on Imus (when Imus was watchable/listenable) during Lewinsky/Impeachment and the Florida vote count and I made the comment on a thread many years ago that I thought Viet Dinh would make a great choice for the Supreme Court.


38 posted on 09/10/2005 2:40:44 PM PDT by HateBill (Democratic Message: "Kiss Terrorist A*s" vs. Republican Message: "Kick Terrorist A*s")
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To: Last Dakotan

Okay, here goes: pick this fine young blokie because he is as good as they get, and he is the youngest of them all! How's that?


39 posted on 09/10/2005 7:56:22 PM PDT by guitarist
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To: guitarist

What's a blokie?


40 posted on 09/10/2005 8:00:37 PM PDT by Last Dakotan
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